Change of Heart
by Mimirou-shika-love
Summary: Katara finds herself conflicted as she tries to find her happiness. Through trials and mysterious coincidences, she will realize the what is truly means to be in love. This is a Zuko X Katara fanfic. It's rated M for future content and it will also include yuri (girlxgirl). You will be warned if you want to skip sections. This is my first fanfic, so please be gentle. ;3
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **This is my first time trying to write a fanfiction, so I guess you can say I am a noob. :P Anyway, I hope you like my Katara x Zuko story and reviews/feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. I would love to see where I can improve. I admire people with the skill to write a wonderful fanfic and I hope I can get to that level.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, it's characters or anything affiliated. I am just a fan writing on the context of my admiration for the show and it's characters.

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Chapter 1

There never existed a point in time where Katara felt like she was ever truly happy. Even after the end of the War and the world finally regaining its peace, there was always a part of her that was on edge. Maybe it was the years of her being at war and always having her guard up or maybe she was finally aware of what she was missing in her life. She couldn't understand what could be missing: Aang had defeated the Phoenix King and set the world at peace. Afterwards, he declared his love for her and she gladly accepted, but it wasn't what she expected. She thought she loved Aang, but there was a part in her that didn't accept this life as easily as she should have.

After the war, Zuko claimed the throne of the fire nation, which was accepted graciously among all the nations. The group was going to go their separate ways after the war, but Zuko had offered them all a place in the palace so they didn't have to be too far apart. They have been staying here ever since. Sokka is across the hall and Toph is on the right of him. Aang and her opted to be in the same room so the maids wouldn't have an extra room to clean.

Ever since then, Katara couldn't find herself being too happy with her situation. Any girl would be happy to live in the Fire Palace and be dating the Avatar, but she couldn't be content. Every night she went to bed, her mind was swarming with what ifs. The only problem was that none of the what ifs ever pointed to a specific person. She couldn't think of anyone else she would be with, but she couldn't find happiness in her relationship now, so it must be someone else out there for her, right?

With all these thoughts swarming in her mind, she couldn't sleep. Her head turned and she couldn't help but smile. Aang's face while he was sleeping was like an innocent child, which wasn't different from his normal face. Her mouth let out a tiny sigh and she slipped out of the confines of her room to walk around the palace.

The palace seemed like a different place entirely. Back during the war, it was a place built on fear and anguish, but now the lavish red silks that adorn every hallway and room was built on Fire Nation pride and wasn't worn with shame anymore. She ran her hand over the silk. There was yellow embroidery signifying the symbol of the Fire Nation on it. The silk was soft and flowed through her fingers like water.

Her walk continued on down the hallway. It was quiet, as everyone was asleep. The palace was huge and she still didn't know her way around it. Her footsteps echoed as she made it to the royal chambers. She didn't know she had walked so far, but she decided she would keep on walking since she wasn't tired yet. She slipped in and realized it was just as quiet. _Of course it is. No one in the royal family is here still except Zuko_. The halls were dark except for one little light at the end on the right corner.

Katara was curious of someone being up this late. She tiptoed over to the room and stuck her head in. The room was filled with rows and rows of books. There was, of course, a red and yellow theme throughout the room. Long, flowing curtains covered the colossal windows. The carpet was exquisite, holding intricate patterns. The middle of the room held a desk with a ruby-crescent lamp emitting light. Sitting at the desk was the prince with stacks of paperwork lying around the desk and some on the floor.

"Well, you seem to be hard at work. Have you gone to sleep yet?" Katara walked over to the side of the desk, trying to determine how much work he had.

Zuko jumped slightly, not realizing someone else was in the room. "Yeah. I have to fix everything my father destroyed, which means trying to renew relationships and writing new treaties. I haven't even had the time to think of rest, let alone get some."

She sat next to the desk and stared at the workload. "It must be difficult to be the ruler of a nation. I can't see how my father could do it for so long, let alone how you will." Her thoughts began to flood with memories of her father and how much she missed him. Then her mom and Gran-Gran came to mind. She couldn't wait to get back to the Southern Water Tribe.

Zuko cleared his throat, making Katara break out of her reverie. "I don't mean to be rude, but shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"I couldn't sleep at all. I don't know why though. My mind has been racing ever since the war. I can't seem to enjoy the silence."

"You too? I thought it was only me. I'm always looking behind me and I find myself being paranoid all the time."

"That's expected for you. You are going to be the next Fire Lord. It's best for you to be on your guard. There are still nations who are angry at the Fire Nation."

"There is reason that you be on your guard also. You are with the Avatar and he is at risk at times too. I guess it won't ever be the same, huh?"

They both laughed lightly and then let out a sigh. Katara stood up and stretched. She was in a Fire Nation dress close to the same design as her Water Nation dress. It rose up her legs while she stretched. "So what should we all wear to your coronation? Do we need to wear anything fancy?"

Zuko's face was back in his workload. "Just wear your nation's clothes. We want each person present to represent their nation. Aang will have to represent as the last remaining Airbender, but I think him being here in honor of my coronation will have everyone's worries at ease."

"I'm sure it will." Her eyes roamed across to all the books on the walls. "What are all these? Are they just reference books?"

He lifted his head up for a quick second. "Oh, those. They are the history of the royal family. There are autobiographies, war stories, invasion plans; practically everything that each ruler has done in their reign, their families, and our people."

Her eyes went back to all of the books, scanning through and recognizing some of the names from Fire Nation history. "So one day your name and work will be up here too."

"That's the plan, but only if tomorrow's coronation goes well." He continues through his work, putting them in certain piles. "I am almost done with these and then I can go to sleep. I'm so exhausted."

Katara let out a yawn at that moment. "Guess I'll head back to my room then." She walks over to the door, about to leave. She turns on her heels and says, "I hope you have a good night's sleep, Prince Zuko." After this, she walked out of the office and headed back to guest quarters.

Zuko's face held a slight blush. He shook his head and cracked his knuckles. "Time to get serious!"

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**Afterthoughts: **I hope you liked this chapter. Please remember to review or send feedback or I won't be able to know where I should improve. :3


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** Hello again! x3 I was glad to get some reviews, favorites, and followings for my first chapter. Thanks for that! I saw how short the first chapter was and hoped that this will length will be better for everyone else. Hopefully you like it! I personally am satisfied with how this chapter came out. As always, please review so I know how I am doing. Enjoy!  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Aribender or anything related to the work. I am only a fan writing about the wonderful characters that Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have created.

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Chapter 2

Katara's dream was nothing like the other nights. Most of the time, it starred herself and her comrades in war. She saw how close she was to losing some of them. How one move would have meant the death of her or one of her close friends.

She could feel the heat from all the fire balls Azula was hurling at her and Zuko. She could hear the explosions from the ships that were being sabotaged by Sokka, Toph, and Suki. Aang flew out to meet Ozai to defeat him. Everything was moving at hyper speed, making it hard for her to keep up. She turned in time to see Azula summon lightning and hurled it in her direction. Zuko jumped in front of her to redirect it, but instead of it redirecting, it ran through his body and burned him inside out.

Katara's eyes widened in horror as Zuko fell on the ground, his last breath escaped him. Azula's evil laugh echoed throughout the air, her eyes moving and staring murderously at Katara.

Katara's eyes filled with tears for her fallen comrade. Her hands moved swiftly to form a massive sphere of water for her use. Using her lithe movements she practiced every day up til this point, the water separated and turned into ice, sharp enough to slice through anything. She hurled her arms forward, aiming them at Azula.

Azula quickly bypassed each one and made her way over to Katara. Her hand summoned the blue fire and aimed it at Katara's heart. Katara's arm reflectively formed a water barrier between, steam rose from the impact. Both girls moved back and let the steam dissipate.

"I didn't think you would last this long. I always thought little water bender peasants were of the lowest behind the extinct air nomads. You couldn't even protect dear Zuzu from being obliterated by my lightning. What use are you?" Her evil cackle resonated with malice.

Katara's anger reached a boiling point. She promised everyone that she would never use this technique, but desperate times called for desperate measures. "You're right. I couldn't protect Zuko. I wasn't strong enough to protect my village or my mother, but all of that changes today. I will get revenge for everyone I have lost due to you and your father's cruel reign."

Azula lets out a sharp, fast scoff. "What will the little water peasant do for her little wittle revenge? Have you forgotten that you haven't hit me with any of your attacks this entire battle?" She cracked her knuckles and began hurling flame attacks at Katara. "I am absolute! You will die a painful death under the hand of the new Fire Lord!"

Katara used her water bending to keep her safe from the attacks. Once she found an opening, her body changed stances and she began her forbidden bending technique, blood bending.

Azula's attack stopped halfway through, with her screaming out in pain, something the former princess never did, ever. _My body… what is happening to it? Is it the filthy water peasant's doing?_ Her eyes casted a dark, malicious view toward Katara. "Are you the one orchestrating this?!" Her body was crumpled on the ground, trying to find comfort in the immense pain she felt.

Katara marched over to Azula's body, still making sure to keep her distance. "Am I still a filthy water bender who can't protect herself? I hope you said your prayers because I'll be sending you back to the hell you came from." Her arms fluctuated, performing the last step in killing the former princess. Before she could complete this, a hand grabbed Katara's shoulder.

"Stop Katara! You don't want a death on your hands." Sokka's hand held firm on her shoulder, trying to get his little sister to stop what she was doing.

"Do you think she ever considered showing mercy to anyone she has killed? She's a ruthless murderer! How can you tell me not to kill her?! Do you not care about everyone who was killed in our village because of them!?" Katara's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let herself cry. She was finishing what the fire nation started.

Sokka hesitated, knowing how much he wanted to make the fire nation suffer for taking away his mother. He clenched his hand harder on her shoulder. "Even so, we can't do this! We'll be stooping to their level. It's not the fault of the fire nation that they have an unjust ruler. Please Katara, don't do this."

Katara struggled with making a decision. She stared with contempt down at the crumpled form of Azula, feeling all the anger rush back in. She then turned to look at her brother, whose face held worry and concern. "I don't care! I will finish what they started." She jerked her shoulder from her brother, creating an ice spike. Azula saw the spike and her eyes widened in an emotion that she had never felt before, fear.

"No Katara!" Sokka tried his best to stop her before she unleashed her fury, but it was too late.

"Long live the Queen." Katara's arms fell downward, causing the spike to find its target. Sokka's eyes were closed, for he knew he wouldn't be able to handle seeing Azula being impaled. After a deafeningly long 5 seconds, he opened his eyes to view the results. Katara was crumpled on the ground with the ice spike impaled in the ground beside Azula's head.

Katara's face held sadness. "I can't do it. No matter what she did and how much pain she caused us, I can't kill her." She turned back to Zuko's disheveled body. "Even after she killed her only brother, I can't kill her."

There were shouts behind them, some water tribe warriors who had come to help them. Sokka had gotten over his brush with terror and decided to take authority. "You go ahead and see if there is anything you can do with Zuko. We'll deal with Azula."

She simply nodded her head in agreement and ran over to Zuko's limp body. To her surprise, there was a faint sign of a pulse left. She pulled water from the sea and let it cover her hands. She began to heal him of his wounds, trying her best to stay strong. _He needs my help. I can't chicken out because it looks bad._

It was dreadful. Zuko's short, black hair was charred from the lightning, as was his clothes and skin. His fingertips looked as though they exploded, trying to redirect the current from the skies. The smell was absolutely unbearable. It was a mixture of burnt hair and skin with the smoke of fire that filled the air. Her stomach could barely take staring at Zuko's body, but she made herself stare at him. _This is war. People get wounded and are hurt._

Even though the signs of war were around them, Katara was oblivious to it. Sokka and the water tribe warriors pulled Azula's body off the ground and as she passed by Katara, her eyes looked dead. There didn't seem to be anything left in the shell of a body named Azula. Katara almost felt sorry for her. Almost. She shook her head of the thought and heard Zuko take in a huge gasp of air.

Though everything was looking up from the battle, Aang was still battling with Ozai. The clashing was causing each side to stop their personal battles to watch the outcome.

Once Zuko was healed enough from emergency first aid, some healers from the palace came for Zuko and took him inside. Katara turned her attention to the fight between Aang and Ozai. _This is where everything counts. If Aang doesn't win, then all of this was for nothing._

Aang did his best against the Phoenix King, but Ozai wasn't letting up for anything. Aang flew around, barely avoiding any of the attacks. The young air nomad let go of his glider staff and let out some fireballs at Ozai. Ozai put up a fire wall to evade it. When Aang landed, Ozai grabbed him by the neck and held him up to everyone. "This little Avatar believed he could defeat me. Poor little air nomad. You know what happens when you mess with the Phoenix King?"

Aang struggled to get out of his clutches, but the King's grip was too tight. Katara's eyes widened at his predicament. She began running towards the fight, knowing she couldn't do anything against the king, but wanting to get to Aang as quickly as possible.

Ozai chuckles darkly. "I'll tell you what happens when you mess with the Phoenix King." His eyes squint murderously at the Avatar monk. "You get burned." His hand reached out and pierced through the Avatar's chest, pulling out his heart for everyone to see.

Katara stopped in her tracks, feeling her body give out as she stared horrified at the sight. Her body froze in place and her eyes poured out endless tears. The Phoenix King began laughing, his laugh echoing through the canyons. Katara began to break down. "AANG!" Her world filled with black and her body fell on the ground soon after.

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"Katara. Katara!" Aang tried shaking her awake, but he couldn't get her to open her eyes. The woman asleep next to him had been crying and yelling out in her sleep for the past 30 minutes and he couldn't get her to wake up.

Katara's body lunges forward, throwing Aang off his guard and having him fall off the bed, tumbling to the ground. Katara's hands were attached to her face, trying to stop the tears that fell. The dream was mostly correct except for the last part. Aang never had his heart pushed out of his chest. Her mind had made the recollection a living nightmare. What would have happened to her if that had been a reality?

Aang got up from the ground, complaining about his back, which had hit the ground pretty hard. Instead of making a joke out of it like he usually would have, he noticed the state Katara was in. He jumped back up on the bed, wrapping his arms around her, running his hand through her hair to try and comfort her.

Katara's sobs came out in shudders as she tried to get the vision out of her head. She finally managed to get her mind at ease and looked up at the boy comforting her. "Thank you Aang. You always seem to know the best way to ease me after those nightmares."

His eyes switched from the playful boy she had known to the eyes of someone with impeccable knowledge. "Of course I do Katara. I'm always here for you." He hugged her close to him. "Was it about the war?"

She nodded her head simply, sniffling lightly. "I can't get it out of my head. Every time I close my eyes, it keeps coming back." Her body starts to shake, her eyes haunted by the vision that only she could see. "Ozai had defeated you and pulled your heart out for everyone to see. It was horrible Aang!" She buried her head into his chest.

"Don't worry. I'm here and alive." He smoothed her hair, trying to calm her soul. "I think the best thing for you right now would be a warm bath. Would you like that?"

She smiled weakly, letting out a small yes before getting out of bed. "Thank you again Aang." She turned her back and made her way to the bathroom.

Aang gets out of bed and exits the bedroom. Sokka and Toph are outside the room with worry looks plastered on their faces. Sokka is the first to say something. "Is it nightmares again?"

Aang nodded his head. "Yeah. She keeps seeing the war and she can't find any peace within herself. It's been happening every night. I don't know how much her mind can take."

Toph got up from the floor. "I think being in the palace is not helping her any. Maybe you guys should go back home."

Sokka turn to Toph. "But we would be leaving Zuko alone. He is practically by himself and it would be rude to just leave him here."

"If it will help Katara, you guys should probably leave."

All three of them turned, spotting the soon-to-be King. All of them gasped as they realized how different he looked. Dressed in royal garb from head to toe, he was definitely ready for his coronation. Red silk flowing from his arms and surrounding his body. Yellow fire lotuses patterned the entire outfit, showing the soft, yet fierce combination of the fire nation. His facial expression held pride, but at the same time concern for his friend.

Again, Sokka was the first to say something. "Wow Zuko. You look like a totally different person!"

"Yeah. No one would have guessed you were an exiled prince only a week ago. The look suits you." Aang smiled at him as he said this.

"Nice threads dude." Toph put a thumbs up for him.

Zuko began waving his hands, getting slightly embarrassed by the sudden flow of compliments. "It's nothing really." His demeanor took a 360 and he became serious again. "I mean it though. If Katara would feel better at home, away from all the reminders of the war, then you should take her home. Don't be worried about me. I will be fine. I'll be so busy in the coming weeks, I probably wouldn't be able to see any of you guys anyway."

The three meditated on the idea. "Are you sure? We promised we would stay here to help with relations between the other nations. We can't back down on a promise." Aang's face showed signs of sadness.

Zuko shook his head. "It's fine. I want the best for everyone. If it helps her to be away from all of this, then I think you should do it. It will be ok."

A servant ran down the hallways, frantic. "Prince Zuko! You can't just go running off like that! We almost had an aneurysm when you took off." She stalked over and bopped him on the head. "You have to be presentable for the coronation. You can talk to your friends afterwards."

Zuko's face held a hint of stifled laughter as he was pulled back down the hallway. He shouted out, "Let me know what you guys come up with after the coronation!"

The other three all looked at each other before bursting into laughter, knowing that with Zuko as king, everything would finally be set back on the right path.

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**Afterthoughts:** Again, let me know if the length of this is better than the last chapter and what you think. Thanks for reading. :3


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **Hi! Sorry for taking so long for this chapter. I have been getting my hair and nails done and getting ready for my vacation, so I haven't had much time for myself. I hope this chapter will let you forgive me. :) Again, reviews and criticism is very welcome.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, it's characters or anything affiliated.

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Chapter 3

There was a slight knock on Zuko's door. The young prince turned his head toward the opening door. His eyes widened in surprise.

The two young ladies that walked in had different expressions on their faces. The smaller, more petite girl had a huge smile across her face that seemed to spread to her eyes. The young acrobat's name was Ty Lee. The other girl had an expressionless demeanor. She often wore boredom as her main emotion, but only her close friends recognized changes in her behavior. Her name was Mai.

Ty Lee and Mai watched as the final touches were placed on Zuko's wardrobe. Ty Lee bounced over to Zuko. "Wow! You look like a King, Zuko!" Her braid swung around and settled on her back.

Mai leaned against the door frame. "I'm surprised you even decided to do this after everything that's happened…" She didn't look him in the eyes.

Zuko stared at Mai, feeling her mood shift. He turned to his servants. "Can I have a moment?"

All the servants stopped what they were doing, bowed and left the room. One of the older maids dragged Ty Lee out of the room, giving Zuko a wink before leaving the room.

The door closed and there was a thick air of silence. Zuko cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I wanted to talk to you after everything, but between work and the coronation, I haven't really gotten the chance to."

Mai sighed lightly. "You don't owe me anything Zuko. What we had…" Her eyes looked away from Zuko and at the wall, tracing the symbols. "It was before you were banished. It felt like it was decades ago."

"But that's the thing. It wasn't decades ago Mai and my feelings haven't changed. I don't know about you, but I don't think I can last another night being alone." He couldn't look at her after saying this. Showing emotion was something both were unfamiliar with.

Mai turned her head back in surprise, but it quickly dissolved back into its familiar mold. "It's different now Zuko. Back then, it didn't mean anything since you were a prince who was satisfying your urges, but now… it's serious. You're going to be a Fire Lord. You can't be the bad boy breaking rules anymore."

Zuko smiled at Mai. He stood up and walked over to Mai. He turned her face towards him. "I'm not breaking rules Mai. I'm telling you that I want to be with you and I want you to be my Fire Lady."

Mai's eyes widened with emotion, something she rarely felt. "W-what?" Her body stood rigid in place, not able to look away from Zuko. "You're proposing to me after we haven't been together for years?" Her eyebrow arched upwards in disbelief.

"Yes I am. I'm serious about this Mai. I want to be with you forever and I'm willing to tell everyone at the coronation today." His hands slip off her face and capture her hands.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" She pushed Zuko away from her. "This is WAY too fast. I mean, we haven't even been dating and you want me to be your wife?" She shakes her head. "I'm not ready for that." Her eyes stare into Zuko's. "You've changed Zuko, so much since we've been together." She leaned back against the doorframe. "I'll make you a deal. I'll agree to date you again and if I feel that I'm still attracted to you like I was in the past, then I will agree to marry you."

Zuko nodded his head in agreement. "I don't see anything unreasonable about that. Alright, from this moment onwards, we are now dating." Zuko's face flashed one of his rare smiles, taking Mai by surprise. Her heart skipped a beat. A slight blush made its way onto her face.

Ty Lee threw the door open, causing Mai to fall flat on her face. Ty Lee stormed through, stepping on Mai's body. "Ty Lee has arrived!" She looked around and spotted Zuko's strained face. "Where's Mai at?"

Mai let out a growl and threw Ty Lee off of her. "What were you thinking running through here like that?! I could have broken something!" Her whole face was red from contact with the floor.

Zuko stifled a laugh and looked away from Mai's death glare. Ty Lee seemed to be bored of the situation and decided to ignore what happened in the last 2 minutes. "How long will the coronation last?"

Zuko shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know really. Depends what needs to be said and settled. After that, people will either want to congratulate me or wish for my death and then I have to use the rest of the day for arranging meetings with the citizens who have complaints or issues with the older laws." His forehead furrowed, creating wrinkles.

Ty Lee's hand smacked him across the forehead. "You're gonna be an old man in no time if you wear a serious face like that."

Zuko tried grabbing Ty Lee by her arm, but she twirled out the way. Soon it was a game of cat and mouse, with Zuko failing miserably. By the end of it, Zuko was panting and out of breath while Ty Lee was prancing around him in circles yelling, "old man."

Mai held her hand to her mouth and let out a small laugh, watching at how irritated Zuko was from Ty Lee's antics. It gave her time to think about Zuko's proposal. Of course she was flattered that he wanted to be with her, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to be with him. It had been years since they had been together and only a few months ago, they were enemies. _How can I easily accept an offer like that from someone I viewed as a traitor for so long?_

Soon the head maid walked back in, telling Mai and Ty Lee that their visit would have to come to an end. Ty Lee complained about having more time, but the maid only pushed her out of the room. Mai took one quick glance back at Zuko before leaving the room, wondering whether she will be able to come to a decision soon.

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Katara sat in the tub longer than she needed to. The images from her dreams haunted her more than she thought they would. Even though she knew it didn't really happen, she couldn't help but think it might be a premonition of what is to come. Even though there is peace, it doesn't mean their lives were safe. There are still subjects loyal to Azula and Ozai who wouldn't be happy about Zuko's reign.

Thinking about Zuko made her remember about the coronation. Her eyes searched the room for her towel. She rose from the tub, letting it drain as she dried off her body. She didn't get to bathe much with all the traveling and now she could. She planned on enjoying every second of it.

She poked her head around the corner of the bathroom. "Aang?" There was no reply. _Maybe he went to go eat breakfast._ She opened her closet and went to the back to find a formal water tribe dress. The note attached to it read: _Thought you could use something more formal. ~Aang_. Katara smiled at the note and pulled the dress out.

The dress was simply exquisite. It was a combination of dark and light blues. There was a wavy pattern, to represent her as a water bender. It was tight around the waist to show off her curves. It was a halter top dress, with a cut in between her boobs to show them off.

She towel dried her hair and placed it in an upward hairstyle. She placed blue chopsticks in it to hold it in place. She stepped into her dress, pulled it up and zipped it. She placed some house slippers on her feet and made her way to the dining room for breakfast.

Toph, Sokka and Aang were in the dining room eating their food. Sokka was still wearing his pajamas, letting out a loud yawn after taking a sip of his orange juice. Toph was in a jade dress, with her hair still wet from her bath. Aang look sort of disheveled, probably from his lack of sleep. He was talking with Toph about something when Katara walked up behind them.

"Katara," Sokka started, but then he noticed her new dress. "Where did you get that from? That's not your normal dress."

She sat down by Aang, across from her brother. "It was a present from Aang. My normal water tribe dress wasn't formal enough for a coronation." Her eyes moved over to Toph. "See. Toph dressed formal as well."

"Yeah, but it's a pain in the ass. I hate wearing stuff like this." Her hand went to her side and scratched it. "This fabric is just too flimsy!" She made a sound of annoyance before going back to her food.

Katara giggled lightly from Toph's discomfort and her brother's disgruntled look. "Do you not have anything more formal for the coronation?"

Sokka shrugged his head. "I thought we just needed something that represented our tribe, not to be elegant. If I knew that, I would have prepared." He shoveled some eggs into his mouth.

They heard a door open and Ty Lee came rushing in. They all got up from their seats, ready to fight her if necessary. They were used to seeing Ty Lee as an enemy, so when she came in running, they believed she was coming to attack them. The acrobat caught on to their aggressive stances and instead of launching into attack mode like they perceived, she went over to the table, snagged a piece of bacon and sat at the end of the table to prepare a plate of food.

The other four stared at her, utterly confused. Katara was the first one to speak. "What are you doing here?"

Ty Lee looked up from eating. "I'm eating breakfast, the same as you. What? I'm not allowed to eat?"

Sokka just stared as she piled more food onto her plate and continued to eat. "Um… what are you doing here in the palace? Weren't you an Azula follower?"

Ty Lee seemed angry from the accusation. "You think people work for Azula willingly? I was as much of a prisoner as you guys were! I just didn't have a choice to run away. She would have killed me if I betrayed her. She almost killed Zuko for doing the same thing."

Katara's face paled remembering her dream. Her hands started shaking. Aang turned to her and touched her shoulders lightly. "Hey Katara, are you alright?"

She sat down at the table again, trying to think of something else, but the images started flashing in her mind. She couldn't close her eyes, or the pictures would become clearer. Sokka noticed how pale his sister looked and tried to distract her by changing the conversation. "How can you eat all of that food Ty Lee?"

Ty Lee's bitter mood quickly shifted to her enthusiastic one. "Athletes eat more because they burn through it faster. If I don't eat a lot, then I will be underweight." She finished by taking a bite of her pancakes.

The room became quiet afterwards, Katara finally able to bring color back to her face and normal herself. Aang's eyes still didn't break contact with her, still worried. She tried to shrug it off, but she still felt her mind trying to creep the images back in. She brought her hand up to her forehead to cool it off.

The doors to the dining room opened again and Zuko walked in with Mai behind him. He looked around and saw everyone eating. He made his way to his chair and Mai sat next to him, getting herself some food also.

Toph shrugged her head and went back to eating. Aang and Sokka were seriously perplexed by Ty Lee's and Mai's sudden appearance to the breakfast table. Katara on the other hand was staring at Zuko with his coronation clothes on. She saw how royal his clothes made him look. She found herself staring. "Zuko, you look… different."

He looked up from his plate and turned to Katara. "It feels pretty weird, wearing clothes fit for a king. Maybe I can get away with not having to wear it every day. Who knows?" His hands grabbed an apple and he began eating it slowly.

Sokka couldn't contain it anymore. His hands were balled into fists and he slammed them against the table. "Ok, what are Ty Lee and Mai doing here? Have you forgotten they worked with Azula and helped in hunting us down? Do you think your citizens will like that they are hauled up in here with you?"

Katara dropped her fork. "Sokka!"

Zuko cleared his throat. "It's true they were working with Azula, but that doesn't mean they wanted to. You've met my sister. Would you want to oppose her?"

Sokka was about to say something else, but Toph interrupted. "We know that, but will every other nation who comes here to congratulate you on ascending to the throne be happy? Those two have went around and caused a lot of damage to people's homes and their loved ones. They won't be so well-received."

The others were silent. Finally Mai broke the silence. "Look, I know we don't get along well and after everything we have gone through, you probably don't trust me, but I'm living here and so is Ty Lee."

Katara stared at Mai. "Why do you guys need to live here? Don't you have somewhere else to live?"

Mai shrugged. "We haven't been able to leave when Azula made it her life mission to hunt you guys down, so we're used to being here. We haven't had any other place to call home except the ship we were on, unless you want us to live on it." She turned her head toward the others, seeing if there was any opposition.

Aang spoke up now. "I don't mind you two living in the palace. Just know, not everyone else might feel the same as me. Be ready for that if you want to continue to live here. People don't easily give their trust away to those who have hurt them."

Zuko was about to say something, but then the head maid walked into the dining room. "The preparations for the coronation are underway. We will start once they are finished." She bowed and left the room promptly.

They all exchanged looks and went back to eating their breakfast in silence. Zuko sighed lightly. _This is going to be a long day…_

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**Afterthoughts:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I was hoping to get to the coronation this chapter, but I thought I would add other characters and a twist. :P Next chapter will definitely be the coronation and I have something big planned for it. Until next time.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes:** Hi hi! :3 I am on vacation right now, so I haven't had a chance to write, but I managed to whip up this chapter. :) It is shorter than the previous chapters, but I wanted to end this chapter with something important and it had to have a sort of natural progression. I didn't want to stall the chapter with adding more words for no reason. Anywho, I hope you enjoy and I will try my hardest to get Chapter 5 up by the end of the week. No promises though. :)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, its characters, or anything affiliated. If I did, there would have been Zutara from the beginning. xD

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Chapter 4

The palace servants were working on the coronation for weeks. They imported in the best to represent all the nations. Each seat was in the color that represented the nation and had a lavish silk sash to indicate where each person sat. Katara and the gang were up on stage with Zuko, as they were all ambassadors for their nations.

They were seated in the order they would speak. Toph was first, then Katara, and last would be Aang, as a representative of the Air Nomads and as the Avatar. Each had to comment on their experiences with the soon-to-be king and why they think his rule will help benefit their nations. Once they speak their peace, they will leave it to the official royal court to appoint Zuko to his new position. Then he will give his speech about what he is expecting in his rule.

Each nation's representatives came in and started finding their seats. Sokka walked in with his father and some important members of their tribe. Katara's eyes filled with tears, seeing her father for the first time after the war. She wanted to get off the stage and run to him, but she needed to keep up her professional image. Her hand quickly wiped away her tears.

Zuko walked on the stage, taking his seat at the middle of the stage. The royal court came out and did their preliminaries before moving on down the line of issues that needed to be addressed. Quickly afterwards, Toph was walking over to the podium, recalling her tale of everything that has happened.

"Well, I met Aang, Katara and Sokka back in my village of Gaoling. I was fighting in underground tournaments as the "Blind Bandit" behind my parents back since they treated me like a delicate flower. I decided to leave that life and help Aang as his earthbending teacher. While being his master, I found out about Zuko.

"Zuko was once our enemy, a formidable one at that. He would hunt us down mercilessly and he wouldn't rest until he was satisfied with his results. When he joined us as an ally, that same quality of his made him seem very stubborn. He wouldn't let something be done half-way. He wouldn't rest until he knew that what he has done was the best that he could.

"This man was a big help in teaching Aang his last element. If it wasn't for Zuko rising up, Aang may have never fulfilled his duty of bringing the world to peace. I find that he is man of great honor and worthy of becoming the ruler of the fire nation."

After Toph's speech, she walked back over to her seat and let out a sigh. She turned her head to Katara and patted her on the back. "It's your turn. Make sure to knock them dead."

Katara smiled back at her and walked over to the podium. Before she started, she turned to Zuko and gave him a small smile. He smiled back at her. Her eyes scanned the crowd to spot her brother and father staring up at her. She calmed herself before retelling her tale to everyone in the audience.

"This story I'm about to begin starts before Zuko ever became a factor, but it will show how come his presence changed everything." She stared at her family before starting again. "When I was younger, my mother was brutally killed by the fire nation. They believed she was the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. She protected me from my demise.

"Ever since then, no one from my tribe could ever trust anyone from the fire nation. Our hearts were blackened with hatred for a nation that only brought destruction with them.

"Years later, Sokka and I were fishing and we found the Avatar in an iceberg. Ever since that moment, our lives had changed drastically. Zuko appeared out of nowhere to try and capture a little boy who didn't do anything to anyone. This made it hard to find anything redeemable in someone who bore the fire nation insignia with pride.

"Back in Ba Sing Se, Zuko and I were held in the Crystal Catacombs. Down there, I learned a little more about his reasoning for wanting to chase the Avatar. I also learned why he struggled to find his path for so long. When I heard his story and everything that had happened in the past, I could see why he chose to do what he did. It made sense for everything to have happened this way, but then Ba Sing Se fell and I found my trust for him wane.

"After being hunted by this prince for so long and viewing him as an enemy, he suddenly decided that he wanted to do the right thing and help the Avatar learn firebending. Everyone was thinking it was another plot to obtain the Avatar for the fire nation. I couldn't trust him after the Crystal Catacombs. Everything that had happened was making it difficult to befriend him.

"Zuko had helped my brother Sokka find my father and his girlfriend Suki in The Boiling Rock, which helped trust him a little more, but nothing seemed to make me trust him completely. That was when he proposed we find the man that killed my mother, and I could finally get my revenge. I found the man and I was going to kill him, but he didn't seem worth it.

"I wanted to make that man pay. He put my family through hell because of a mission. All for a mission. My mother was dead. She was just casualty, another bender they took from the world. I thought that once I met this man, I would make him suffer and have him beg for his life. Once I saw how pathetic he was, two things ran through my mind: My mom was killed by a man so low, that had me upset, but also he was so pathetic that I didn't want a useless death on my hands.

"All the hatred I had for the fire nation left me then. I realized they were all victims to a horrible rule and Zuko was the same. If he could take his terrible fate and change everything around for the better, than anyone else could if they really wanted to. The fire nation wasn't our enemies and we had to realize that before we started to bring the world to peace.

"With everything Zuko has gone through, being banished, taking his rightful place as heir to the throne, he understands more than anything what it's like to be at rock bottom and rise again. I believe that Zuko could run this nation with the best of his abilities and right the wrongs of the previous ruler."

Katara's words carried weight and the people in the audience could hear the emotion in her story. The citizens who were totally opposed to Zuko's rule were slightly swayed over to the side of supporting him because of her wisdom. She walked back to her seat, trying to get her heart to stop racing. _That story was one of the most baring of all. Hopefully it will help the non-believers to believe._

The Avatar got up from his seat, approaching the podium. He scratched his head, trying to think of something to say. "Well, Katara pretty much said everything about Zuko, so I guess there's nothing else to say about his character. As Katara said, my hatred for the fire nation was as deep as hers. They killed all of the air nomads, leaving me all alone.

"Once Katara and Sokka found me in the iceberg, I thought only a little amount of time had passed, but I was stuck in there for one hundred years. As soon as I was released, the fire nation was hunting me down to try and destroy me. My existence would have been the end of the fire nation reign. They wanted me on their side so they would be guaranteed victory.

"When I visited my home, it was in ruins. Everyone was gone. They had destroyed everything I cared about. The only thing that was left was Appa, my sky bison and Momo, which is my flying lemur." Momo had flown in at the sound of his name and landed on his shoulder. Aang petted him lightly, going back to his story. "I wanted to destroy them for what they did, but Katara reminded me of my mission: To master all four elements to bring the world to peace.

"Katara and I traveled around the world to become masters of waterbending. Once we reached the Northern Water Tribe, we both were able to learn under Master Pakku. Eventually we met Toph and she started teaching me earthebending. Even with the three elements I learned, I still wasn't powerful enough to fight against the fire nation. I still needed to learn firebending.

"I was practicing firebending one day and I ended up burning Katara on accident. Ever since then, I was afraid to use fire. I always saw fire as an element that only hurts people. It could never be used for good. Eventually, I knew I would have to find a firebender master in order to master all the elements.

"That is where Zuko came. He was going to teach me, but he lost his ability to firebend. His drive was to capture me and bring me back to the fire nation, but since he allied himself with me, he didn't know where to draw his power from. We traveled to the Sun Warrior ruins and found out the true purpose of fire. I realized I didn't have to be afraid of firebending or think of it as destruction. If I remembered the beauty of fire, then I would be able to use it for good. If it wasn't for Zuko, I wouldn't have mastered all of the elements."

Aang bowed slightly before returning back to his seat. The three friends exchanged glances before giving each other warm smiles. They all turned to the empty seat next to them, wondering who else was supposed to speak today.

"Wait!" An elderly man yelled while running up to the stage. It was General Iroh, who had been on a mission since the war was over. The others were afraid that he wouldn't come back in time for Zuko's coronation. Toph turned to the other two and proclaimed, "Maybe Iroh was supposed to say something representing the fire nation." The two agreed.

Iroh almost tripped making his way to the podium. "I have got a surprise for prin~ I mean King Zuko. I have been on a mission since the war ended for something that was of importance to the nation. Even though the country hasn't seen this person for so long, I thought it would be necessary for this person to be here today. With the new reign, the previous bans of certain individuals have been lifted."

At that moment, a tall woman with a pale complexion walked onto the stage wearing a royal fire nation dress. The fire nation citizens whispered to each other as they tried to figure out who the newcomer was. Her face was covered with a red veil and her hands were in a delicate position in front of her chest. Zuko tilted his head to the side, trying to identify the mysterious woman.

The woman approached the mike, clearing her voice delicately. It came out soft and earthly, something unusual for a fire nation woman to possess. She seemed nervous, which made the anticipation thicken.

She held her ground and breathed out slowly before speaking. "I have been away from my homeland for years, hoping that one day I would be accepted back into this nation. I wandered around different cities, but no matter where I went, people would recognize me. Those who did immediately rejected me, fearing the consequences of the previous king.

"As a member of the royal family, I was only used to being treated with lavish expenses, never having to worry about what I will eat or where I would sleep for the night. I became impoverished overnight. I didn't know how I could survive since all I have known was kind love and encouragement. Everything I did in life was to help the ones I loved, but I was the one who ended up unhappy."

As Zuko listened to the story, he had a feeling that the person on the podium was someone of great importance to him. He felt a familiarity to her, far more than he should have. The woman stopped talking and raised her hands to her veil. She took it off and turned around to Zuko. His face was ashen with shock. He was staring into the eyes of the woman that he cared for most in this world, his mother Ursa.

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**Afterthoughts: **Hope you liked it! Please review, favorite or follow the story. Also, I would like to know what you thought about the little twist at the end. I wonder if anyone was thinking it would be Azula. x3


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Notes:** What's up! :3 It is now 3:45 a.m. and I am posting this chapter. I could wait until later on today, but since I am on vacation, I am pretty sure something will come up and it will end up being delayed because of some activity, so everyone can check it out whenever they wake up or something. Welp, I hope you enjoy this chapter and it ends up telling more of Ursa, which is based on her actual story in the Avatar: The Last Airbender, since they didn't really talk about her. As always, review if you enjoy or not. xD  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, its characters, or anything affiliated with it. If I did, Zuko would have reunited with his mother. :)

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Chapter 5

The crowd's emotions were in a frenzy, seeing their banished queen back from 'the dead.' Zuko's face was ashen, like he had just seen a ghost. Ursa stared at Zuko with loving eyes. She walked over to him, laying her hand on his scar. "I'm so sorry Zuko. Because of your kind nature, this happened to you. The only solace I have for marrying your father was it gave me you."

Zuko didn't hear anything she said. He just stared at her, wanting for her to be real. He didn't want this to be an illusion. A trick like this would be too cruel for words. His hand touched her wrist, feeling her warmth. He smiled up at her, and for the first time, Zuko's eyes were filling with tears. "Mother. It's really you." He got up and hugged her, crying freely on her shoulder.

Iroh watched as his nephew was truly happy for the first time in years. He sat down in the empty chair next to Katara, letting out a light sigh. He looked worn out, probably from his endless search for Zuko's mother. Even though he seemed tired, Katara could still see the happiness in his face from his deed.

Katara leaned towards him. "That's a wonderful thing you did for Zuko, searching for his mother. He told me how much he loved his mother and how he wished he could see her again."

"Well, I've always wanted to see my sister-in-law again. She was the only thing that brightened up the palace." Iroh's bones cracked lightly as he stretched.

Katara glanced over at Zuko, who was smiling brightly at his mother. She had her arms wrapped around him, whispering something to him that made him even happier. As they parted, Ursa's face became serious and she looked away from his face, muttering something that washed the smile off of Zuko's face. His mouth moved quickly, but she placed her finger to his lips. She shook her head and repositioned herself back at the podium.

"Even though some of you may not be happy with me being back and others may have missed me, I must explain my tale from the beginning and whatever your thoughts of me are afterwards, I will have you decide my fate."

Zuko's body dropped back in his seat, dreading what was to come next, knowing too well what the subject matter would be. He didn't think the citizens will easily accept everything like he did. Even though his mother was a kind spirit, betrayal is never taken lightly, especially against the royal family. Even lately after the royal family treated everyone like vermin, there was still respect for them.

The crowd was silent, all eyes on the woman at the podium. Ursa's lips curved upward for a split second before returning back to normal. "My life before the palace wasn't known by anyone here, as it was forbidden for anyone to talk about, excluding my ex-husband and his father, our late king. I will now tell you how I became the princess and then the queen of this nation.

"I lived in the town of Hira'a with my parents. We weren't the most prosperous, but we got by. I grew up there ever since I was born, with the love of my gracious parents. As some people know, we are descendants of Avatar Roku, which made my fate sealed as soon as I exited the womb. That fate would end the life I had currently built until my teenage years.

"Before I get into that, I will talk about someone who was of great importance to me. I had a childhood friend named Ikem, who I didn't get along with at first. We always teased each other, getting on each other's nerves. One day while I was practicing for a play, he decided to help me with my lines. When we finished practicing, he proposed to me. It was sudden and I wasn't sure if I could go through with it, but I accepted.

"I ran home to tell my mother the good news, but this is where my story turns sour. My mom knew my fate, knowing what future was prepared for me. She was crying when I found her and the last thing she told me was that she loved me. In the other room waiting for me was Fire Lord Azulon and Prince Ozai. They told me that I had to be betrothed to Prince Ozai because of a prophecy. He proposed to me and I accepted.

"I was to leave the town the next day. Ikem heard of this and tried to stop me from leaving. I told him I didn't love him anymore and he should go home. After that, I never saw him again. It was clear after I got married that I couldn't even keep in contact with my parents anymore. To them, I didn't exist anymore. I couldn't have any ties with them ever again.

"Then I had two kids, Azula and Zuko. Azula was always Ozai's favorite, but I loved both of them equally. The only thing I regret is not showing Azula the same love I showed Zuko. Maybe she didn't believe I loved her, but I did. I showed Zuko the most attention because Azula didn't need it. She was strong and independent, always exceling in what she was involved with. Zuko wasn't the same and needed to know that I didn't love him less because of it.

"I wrote letters to my parents and Ikem, telling them of Zuko and how much he reminded me of Ikem. Zuko was the one good thing that happened in all of this madness, and I intended to keep him, no matter what.

"Now this is the part where the story gets sickening. I will say this, Fire Lord Azulon was a good man at heart and I hated orchastrating what happened to him. It was the day that Iroh's son was killed on a mission." She stopped briefly, looking back at Iroh apologetically. He shook his head, telling her to proceed. "Ozai wanted to take the throne and said that Iroh shouldn't get to inherit because he let his son die.

"How foolish of Ozai to say something so cold-hearted about his own brother. When Azulon heard his son's careless words, he was infuriated. He said his punishment would be of equal amount to Iroh's loss. When I was told of this, I went to Zuko and told him that no matter what, I always loved him and thought of what was best for him. I was reminded of my mother as I said it, which caused the wound in my heart to reopen.

"Afterwards, I headed to Ozai to question him about what had happened in the throne room. He told me he intended on killing Zuko, as this was Azulon's punishment for Ozai. He wanted him to know the loss of his firstborn son in order to compensate for his selfishness. I wouldn't allow my son to be hurt, so I came up with a plan for Zuko to live and Ozai to get what he wanted.

"I will say, I did betray this nation by not coming up with a better plan, but Zuko was my first and only priority. Damn everything else. I would protect my son with all my power. My plan was that Ozai kill Azulon in order to ascend to the throne, with me becoming a conspirator against the death of Azulon, causing my banishment.

"Azulon was murdered by Ozai so he could claim the throne. If I didn't know better, Iroh's son's death could have been orchestrated by Ozai too. He was too power hungry. He caused the trouble with the nations. He caused Azula to become the way she was. He made Iroh leave because he was ashamed of the family name and Ozai called him a disgrace for it. He made Zuko's face the way it is, reminding him of his useless father's contempt every day. I wish I could have been stronger, but I wasn't and I paid the price."

The people in the crowd murmured furiously, relaying all the information they had just learned. Zuko's face was awestruck, just learning the full story himself. He didn't know the sacrifices his mother made to keep his life safe. If he would have known, he may have never caused the outburst leading to his banishment. He might have left with his mom back then, keeping her safe and making sure she wasn't lonely.

Ursa stood on stage, looking at every face in the crowd. She opened her mouth to speak again. "Now that you know the truth of the past, you can decide the future. You can keep me here, letting me back into your nation or you can choose to banish me again."

The banished prince shot up from his seat. "NO!" He stalked over to his mom, staring her in the eyes. "I didn't have Iroh search for you just to be banished again. Why would you let them decide your fate?"

The queen just smiled at her son, placing her hand on his face. "These people are our future, your future. If you do not listen to the opinions of the people, you will not be a good king. A good king listens to citizens' problems, but a great king takes them into consideration before making choices. What would happen if they want me banished and you overrule them? They will think you will do this for everything you don't agree with and they will grow to hate you."

Zuko only stared at his mother, feeling himself on the edge of despair. He had finally got his mother back and she could be tossed out of here as quickly as she came. Even though he didn't agree with his mother, he knew that her advice was knowledgeable. "Fine." He walked around her, leaning against the podium. "This is how it will work. Each nation should indicate their spokesperson and have them decide for everyone. We will continue this in two hours."

Everyone seemed to have agreed and went on doing what he had ordered. Katara, Toph and Aang walked over to Zuko, trying to find words to say. Toph scratched her head and whistled nervously. "So… what do we do for two hours?"

Ursa walked over to them, giving off a friendly grin. "We could always go inside the palace and have some tea."

This caused Iroh to perk up. "If you really want tea, look no further! I can whip up a quick batch if you really want some."

She nodded. "Then it is settled." She turned to Zuko, her voice becoming gentler. "We should relax. Plus, I want to meet your new friends."

Sokka ran up on stage, grabbing his sister lightly. "I was sitting in the crowd and the responses seem to be half and half. Dad wants to know what your opinion is so he can count it in with the others."

She stared at him. "Isn't it obvious? Of course I want her to stay. Didn't you see how happy Zuko was to see her? Imagine what would happen if she is banished again. He would be heartbroken."

Sokka sighed. "Okay. I was only checking." He waved goodbye quickly and jumped off the stage. He fought his way through the crowd and made it back to his father.

When Katara caught up with everyone else, they were all in the dining room, waiting for Iroh to finish the tea. Zuko was sitting in the chair from this morning, so was Toph and Aang. Ursa was sitting in Mai's seat. Katara walked over swiftly and sat next to Aang. He turned to her, smiling at her and placing his hand on top of hers.

Ursa noticed this and smiled smally. "So the Avatar has a girlfriend and a pretty one at that."

Katara blushed at her comment. "I wouldn't say that. I'm pretty plain compared to most other girls."

"And she's modest. Make sure to keep her Aang. She seems like a lovely girl. I'm a pretty good judge of character."

Katara's face grew redder, causing Aang to laugh. Aang smiled at the elegant woman and stating, "Don't worry. She won't get away from me." He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Be sure you don't." She winked her eye at them. Her hand captured the cup Iroh was handing her at that second and she sipped on her tea. She let out a content sigh. "Your tea is exquisite, as always. I've missed it."

Zuko stared at his mother, a question fumbling in his head. "Mom, where have you been all this time? If you have been banished from the fire nation and the other nations wouldn't accept you, where else could you have gone?"

She stopped drinking her tea and set it down gently. "I… I went back to my parents, hoping that being home would bring all the fond memories back, but when I had arrived, the royal guards were there, knowing I would head to them first. I decided to look for Ikem, but his whole family left shortly after I had gone away with Ozai.

"I then wandered around, trying to find other places to stay. Soon, I smuggled onto a ship and let it take me anywhere and wherever it landed would be my new home. I found myself on an island I had never seen and I went into town, hoping the people would be hospitable, but the town was impoverished. The fire nation had taken everything away from them and they were all fighting to live day by day.

"It was there that I had to learn to live off of practically nothing and I lived there ever since. If Iroh wouldn't have found me, I would still be there, barely living. He found me a couple of weeks ago, but I was underweight and malnourished, and he didn't want you seeing me this way, so he treated me back to health."

Iroh sat down and began sipping his tea, pretending the story had nothing to do with him. Zuko slammed his hands on the table. "You found her WEEKS ago?! I thought I told you no matter what, to tell me everything, no matter how bad. I had nightmares, believing she was dead or something unfortunate had happened to her."

Iroh's sharp eyes locked onto Zuko's angry ones. "She was delusional and on the edge. If I told you she was alive, you would have stopped everything and made sure you saw her. I wanted you to concentrate on your duties. You would have been focused too much on her recovery rather than your work. Plus, she asked me not to let you see her in her weakened state. I could never do that to her."

At that moment, Mai had burst through the doors, panting heavily. "I heard Zuko's mom was back and I wanted to make sure she wa~" A teacup was launched at Mai's head, scraping her face as it flew by.

Everyone's eyes flew open in surprise, not knowing what to do. Ursa stood up from her chair, turning a hateful glare at Mai. "Hello darling. I'm here in the flesh and I haven't forgotten anything that you have done to me. You better hope I show you mercy, or you will feel the wrath of me." Zuko's eyes flashed between Mai and Ursa, hoping this didn't turn into an all-out war.

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**Afterthoughts:** Uh-oh. What could Mai have done with Ursa to get her upset? You guys will find out next chapter! Also, if you decide to review, tell me what you think of the pace. I am trying not to rush the Zutara action because I have a lot of plot planned and even though it is the forefront for the story, it isn't the main focus right now. Katara is content right now and she won't realize she isn't until she understands how unhappy she is. Guess that is it. Thanks for reading! :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Notes: **Hello! I am back from my vacation and home again. Even though it was fun to be in another place for a week, it's nice to be home. I promised I would have this out by Sunday, and it is 9:30ish my time, so I think I am kind of cutting it close. We have been in a car for like 10 hours so I had no way of posting this until now. Let me know what you think. :3  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, its characters or anything affiliated.

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Chapter 6

Mai's eyes widened and her head snapped over to Ursa, who was glaring at her with hatred in her eyes. "What did I do to you? I haven't seen you since you were banished! Why did you throw a tea cup at my head?"

Iroh got up and cleaned up the mess, grumbling about people underappreciating china and all that goes with it. The others dropped their tea cups on the ground, which caused Iroh to throw the cleaning supplies to the ground and stomp out. Katara's eyes flickered between Ursa and Mai, wondering what kind of past the two shared.

Ursa stepped up to Mai. "You did the unthinkable to me and I will never forgive you for it." This was all she said before she walked past her, cleaning up the tea cups that had fallen. Katara got up quickly to help her, trying to be careful not to cut herself. Her hands used the tea to pick up all the glass safely.

As Mai watched Ursa clean up, her eyes sparkled with realization. The queen's form as she cleaned reminded her of someone that she met a couple years ago. She had locked all those memories away, hoping to never have to think about them after the mission occurred. Now she knew why Ursa felt betrayed by her.

Ursa stood, wiping her dress off. She quickly turned back to Zuko, her eyes soft. "I'm going to get some air." She gathered her dress in her hands and walked out of the dining room, her steps echoing the halls as she left.

Mai's body slumped into the seat, her mind reshowing the events from years passed. The things that she had done and the things she was told to do were bringing up bile to her throat. She bit her lip, holding it back and settling the feeling of nausea that was overtaking her. Zuko drifted out of his daze and placed a hand on her knee. "What was my mother talking about?"

The room grew silent, waiting for Mai to answer. Katara walked over to the table, leaning against it. Her head was craned towards Zuko and Mai. Mai's arms wrapped around herself, trying to warm up. "Look, I have done some bad things in the past under Azula's influence. If I could take it back, I would."

Aang sat up then. "What kind of bad things?" He faced her, sitting in front of her.

Mai let out a sigh before she continued. "Ozai was hiding a piece of property from the records. Because of it, the finances were off. Ozai told Azula to handle it, but she decided she had a more important mission and sent me off instead. They wanted to see the value of the land and if they could use it for something useful. If not…"

Katara gasped in horror. "You mean they were going to kill everyone on the island if they couldn't find anything redeemable for it? That is horrible!"

She simply shook her head. "It was how they looked at, which was why I pleaded with Azula to go on the mission instead. Knowing her, she wouldn't have even gone and let them all be slaughtered. I was nine years old at the time and all I knew was that I didn't want people to get hurt.

"The island was located close to The Boiling Rock. The people on the island were a mix of nations, as they were all families of the prisoners on The Boiling Rock. It was the only way they will be able to see them. The island was set up by your mother years ago." She turned to Zuko, indicating who the 'your' was in the previous statement.

She paused to see if anyone had any more questions. Mai then continued. "I took the ship over to the island with some soldiers, in case the elimination plan was to be ordered. I stepped onto the island, realizing that it was indeed a poor nation. Everyone there was barely able to live day to day. The only thing that kept all of them going was the fact that they knew their loved ones were prisoners, being treated poorly.

"I walked through town, trying to find something of value in the island that would let Ozai keep these people alive. That was when I saw a woman in disheveled rags walking down the street, with a tall glass bottle in her hands. She had filled it with sea water and was walking up the hill. Being curious, I followed her. It happened to be that she was taking it to an old waterbender who used it to create fresh water for the villagers.

"I thought to myself that this may be the thing to keep the village alive. Unfortunately, the woman had heard me lurking and told me to show myself. They saw my fire nation clothes and they all fled from me except the one woman who I had followed. She had strong, dark amber eyes. She spoke to me, her voice sort of raspy. 'You shouldn't have come to disturb us. We have done nothing for you to come here.'

"I didn't know what to say to this, but all I did was stay calm and replied back with why I was there. 'Ozai has ordered me to find something of worth to save this village. If I can't find anything, then he will burn this place to the ground. Be grateful I came, or else the island would already be gone.' I didn't see her flinch when I told her this news.

"She leaned against a tree, the breeze blowing through her hair, making her hair even more matted. She let out a gut-wrenching laugh, which confused me. I told her of the calamity that was to come and she just laughed. She stopped shortly afterwards, wiping the tears away. 'Sorry. It wouldn't surprise me if he killed everyone here. He isn't exactly known for being generous or kind. We're just lucky we survived this long.'

"I couldn't believe she was giving up already, without even trying for her life. 'I might have found something that could save all of you. Don't give up just yet.' After that, I ran back to the ship to send a bird back to Ozai, hoping he would spare the people there. Instead, he sent another ship with an Admiral on it with orders to find all the benders hiding on the island and kill everyone else there."

Everyone in the room at this point sucked in air through their teeth, utterly surprised by how quick the story took a gruesome turn. Toph folded her hands into fists. "So they killed everyone except the benders? How could they?"

Mai covered her ears with her hands. "It was my fault. If I didn't tell Ozai about the benders, then everyone wouldn't have died and the benders tortured." Her head moved to Katara. "Because of me, your mother was hunted and killed. They had received information from the elderly waterbender. She was forced to tell them a safe way to travel to your tribe."

At first, Katara's face blanked. She had to process the information through her head before it started to make sense. Soon after, the pieces fell into place and it all became clear. She walked over to Mai and slapped her in the face. "You're the reason ALL the women in my tribe were assaulted and my mother died!"

Aang grabbed her by the hands and pulled her off. "Katara! She was trying to save those people! It's not like she did it on purpose."

Her body crumpled onto the floor. "It's Ozai's fault for everything. We should have killed him when we had a chance. What is he learning by being locked up by himself? Probably cooking up another plan to kill us all."

Aang's face turned into pure shock. "You can't mean that Katara, taking someone's life? No one should decide to take someone else's life. You didn't take the man's life who killed your mother."

"That was different! He was following orders from a monster! It wasn't right to end his pitiful life, but if we kill the root of the evil, then we won't have any problems anymore."

Zuko growled lightly. "That's enough!" The whole room grew silent. His nose was flaring upward. "Don't you think I would love to kill my father? He has done nothing but cause my life misery. May I remind you he banished my mother, killed my grandpa, and gave me this scar? Killing him would be too easy. What would he learn? He should want to die. He should want his torment to end, and then we get the satisfaction of making him live every day, knowing he can't end everything."

His words sunk in, letting them think of the truth behind them. Katara shook her head. "He has done all these terrible things to people, and everyone wants him to suffer. Then do the punishment yourself! He is not suffering down there by himself. His life is not in danger. He is getting meals, he is safe from enemies. What is he afraid of? Nothing!" Her finger points to Mai. "People like her follow him and cause destruction, then what? We have the problem all over again. You saw Azula."

Mai shivered from the sound of her name. Every time she heard that name, she couldn't help but feel afraid. She stood up from her seat. "You said I caused your mother's death, but you just said that the man who killed your mother was just following the orders of a corrupt man. I was too! Why are you blaming me for something like that?"

Katara glared at her. "If you would have left it alone, the waterbender would have died on that island like everyone else, no one knowing she was there. The information she had on my tribe would have died with her and no one would have found us. My mother would be alive today." Her hand wrapped around her necklace. "She would still be here today," she continued solemnly.

Toph cleared her throat, "Not trying to make your points seem unimportant, but you said that the only people that made it off the island were benders, correct?"

Mai shook her head. "That was the only people they took on the ship and torched the rest. Why?"

"If that is true, how could Ursa survive? She's not a bender." Toph tilted her head to the side, her blank eyes staring out into nothingness.

Everyone was silent, thinking about the previous fact. Zuko spoke up then. "Actually, my mom is a bender. She is a descendant of Avatar Roku, so she is naturally gifted with firebending talents. It just wasn't necessary for her to use her skills because she was protected all the time and didn't have to lift her finger in times of battle, so her powers just lied dormant."

Aang tapped his chin. "Well that makes sense then, but how did she make it off the ship and back to the island where Iroh found her? If she escaped, couldn't she have saved everyone else? Wouldn't someone have recognized her on the boat?"

"That's because I didn't stay on the ship." Ursa stood in the doorway, her face fixed like a statue. "Someone left my door open and let me escape. I was guessing it was a trap, but I was able to swim back. By the time I got to the island, everything had been taken over by flames and I was all alone. No one ever said that Iroh found me on an island with other inhabitants. He found me living alone on a dead island. Ever since the fire, no one else came to the island. I could barely survive day by day."

She walked over to Mai. "I agree with Katara. You should have let everyone on that island die. At least with that, the other benders would have died peacefully instead of being tortured and other benders sought out and killed. I admired your will to try and save everyone, but that only fueled the ammunition."

Mai's head hung downwards. "That's why I ended up letting you go. I promised you that I would save everyone, but I failed. I could have at least saved you. I thought that may compensate for what I had done."

Katara tried to contain her voice, but she couldn't. "And she went on to suffer on that island for years, trying to survive on nothing. That is a nice way to repay her for everything. She would have been better off dead!"

Zuko screamed at Katara. "You wanted my mother to die?! How dare you say that?!"

She was taken aback at Zuko's loud voice, which was oozing with anger. "I mean, she was suffering for years. That's not something you would want to have to deal with. I don't know how she managed to go on…"

Ursa placed a hand on Katara's shoulder, giving off a warm smile. "It's because I believed I would see my son again. There was also unfinished business I had with my family, and I didn't want to leave things as they were."

Iroh had come back from the kitchen, still seething from the broken tea cups. Ursa slide her hands off of Katara's shoulder and walked over to Iroh, apologizing to him for her rudeness.

He didn't seem happy, but he seemed to forgive her. It was kind of hard for Iroh to be angry at Ursa, as she was the kindest woman he had ever met. He grumbled something before Ursa giggled a reply. He seemed to lighten up and got up to make more tea, when Ty Lee burst through.

"Ursa!" The older woman turned around at the sound of her name. Ty Lee saw Ursa and ran to her. Ursa's arms were open and they wrapped around the young acrobat. Ty Lee cried out something on the lines of, 'I never thought I would see you again.' Ursa shushed her, trying to calm her down.

Once Ty Lee was calm, Ursa told her to help Iroh in the kitchen with the tea. She quickly agreed and ran into the kitchen. Zuko had grabbed Mai by the wrist, whom was still having flashbacks of everything that had happened. He cradled her to his chest, trying to calm her fears.

Aang was talking to Katara, scolding her for outburst against Mai earlier. When she had apologized, her eyes stopped on the close connection between Zuko and Mai. Something inside of her was sad, but she didn't know why. _Why would I care if Zuko was consoling Mai?_

The doors opened again, and one of the royal Fire Sages came in, announcing that the deliberations on the banishment of Ursa have been tallied and that the representatives were ready to relay their verdict. His eyes flashed to Mai momentarily, not giving it anymore thought. Zuko responded and he stood up, whispering something to her that caused her to let go of him, unwillingly.

"Let's go find out everyone's thoughts on keeping my mom here." The others nodded their heads, filing out. Zuko was first to leave, followed by Toph, Aang and Katara. Ursa walked past Mai, stopped in her tracks and pushed her back in her seat. Mai let out a gasp.

Ursa's hand crept onto Mai's shoulder, letting her grip tighten against it. "Listen here. Zuko is my dear son, someone I treasure more than anything. If you think you are going to settle into his life after all the time you treated him like a traitor, I will not let you. Don't think just because I was away means that I don't know what happened in the past. You guys had a couple of flings, you were teenagers, but don't think that makes you a suitable choice as his wife. Women who could easily find hatred for someone they previously loved are dangerous to be around. I expect you to end anything with Zuko before you find yourself getting hurt. You have been warned."

By the end of Ursa's speech, Mai's shoulder was on fire. The anger flaring in Ursa's words was causing heat to build up in her hand. She quickly let go, letting her evil demeanor dissipate and turning into her motherly nature. "Take my advice kid. This is your first warning. I'd advise you to heed it, coming from a loving mother." She grabbed one of her fans, opening it and covered her face with it before leaving the room.

* * *

The three representatives were now sitting on the stage, waiting for Ursa to arrive. There was another royal, throne chair added onto the stage, giving her a place to sit next to Zuko.

Zuko's nerves couldn't take the suspense. With the new things he learnt, he couldn't possibly see how the citizens would let her stay here. Ursa realized how worried Zuko was, and she grabbed his hand, letting her motherly smile shine through. All the worries Zuko previously had had disappeared.

Each representative rose, walked over to the Fire Sage and gave him their votes. The Fire Sage walked up to the podium, clearing his throat.. "Before I speak the results, there is something of utmost importance. Due to the sudden change of power, there is no way of knowing if this law will be put into effect. The fire lord's wife shall not be of noble birth. The Fire Lady can be anyone the Fire Lord deems fit."

There were murmurs in the crowd, but none sounded totally objected, so the Fire Sage took this as a good sign, continuing his announcement. "With that out of the way, we shall now determine the fate of our previous Fire Lady. From the representatives of each nation and their people's opinions, the results dictate that Ursa will be…"

Zuko closed his eyes, trying to keep himself calm as he waited for the unbearable. Iroh, Ty Lee, and Mai came out of the castle just in time to hear the verdict. Katara, Aang, and Toph looked at each other. All of them stared up at the Fire Sage hoping that the verdict goes the way they wanted. If not, then Zuko will not be able to live the same way as he could. They prayed that everything would go the way they wanted.

* * *

**Afterthoughts: **For now on, this will be called Afterthoughts. I saw I did it on the first chapter and it would be a better thing to say. There is another side of Ursa that no one knows, so if anyone reviews saying, "How does she know anything about Zuko when he was older," or "How come none of this makes sense?" It's because timewise, none of this doesn't make sense. Somewhere is going to be a time skip or something to make them older. I realized they are too young to be talking about marriage and everything at their age, so I am fixing things. Anyway, review so I can fix anything that is too broken. Thanks for reading! xD


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** Hi everyone. Sorry this chapter took so long. I had writer's block and had no clue what I was gonna do with this story. I am also having troubles with my financial aid for college and things have been hectic at home, so for waiting so long, I wrote this chapter to be longer than the others. I hope you like it and sorry for making you guys wait. Authors have lives too. xD  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, its characters or anything affiliated. I just love it! xP

* * *

Chapter 7

The Fire Sage stood at the podium, staring down at the audience. "The Fire Lady, Ursa, will be…" He looked down at the sheet of paper with all the votes on it and he muttered something underneath his breath. He called the other Fire Sages over to him quickly to discuss the ballot. As quickly as they came, they dispersed, going back to their original positions.

Clearing his throat, the Fire Sage continued with his statement. "Due to the sensitivity of this subject, I apologize for extending this ordeal longer than needed. The votes have made this a complicated decision, but we have deliberated and come up with the best course of action. Ursa will be allowed into the Fire Nation, but is not able to live in the Capital. If she is to visit, she needs to be accompanied by a Royal Guard everywhere."

Zuko cursed under his breath, not looking at anyone in particular. Ursa's face was emotionless, not showing remorse or gratitude for her sentence. Iroh, Mai and Ty Lee were standing behind the sages, letting the decision weigh in. Katara wasn't entirely happy, but she could accept it. She looked over at Zuko to see if he was ok.

"Well if it is the decision of the people, how can I be angry at the outcome?" Ursa stood up from her seat, approaching the throne. "For those who wished for my banishment, I will make sure to gain your trust. For those who wished for me to stay, I offer up my gratitude." She curtsied and turned back to her son. "Now we can move on to the coronation of my dear son Zuko."

Even though the others in the group wasn't sure how they could bounce back from the news, Zuko got up from his throne and his facial expression changed from sadness to cold and watchful. Katara felt a chill run down her back, as if his eyes were boring into her soul or something of that sort.

Before she realized his changed state, he quickly changed it again to a carefree demeanor. "Let us begin what we came here for." The Fire Sage nodded his head simply and began the ceremony the way they had been planning for months. The courtyard was quiet as the ceremony was finally put in motion.

* * *

After the coronation, there was a banquet held in the main hall in Zuko's honor. There was performers playing music and dancing. There were fire benders showing off their talent, their natural ability to bend fire in magnificent ways. Zuko was made to mingle, in order to keep up appearances. The band of friends came up to him after he was congratulated by yet another happy citizen.

"I can't believe you are the king of the Fire Nation now Zuko." Toph finished her statement with a punch to his arm.

Zuko chuckled, rubbing his arm lightly. "Yeah. It's sort of surreal. When I think about it, we were all flying around on Appa's back, hiding from Azula and living on the beach or in the woods. It's sure going to be different now."

Sokka and his father Hakoda walked up to Zuko. Hakoda looked at Zuko sternly. Zuko's eyes narrowed slightly, mirroring back the same look. After a while, they both broke out in a smile, Hakoda bringing his hand out for Zuko to shake. They seemed to be immersed in a serious discussion afterwards.

In the kitchen, Iroh was ordering around the staff and trying to keep everything in check. The staff was working at maximum output, as they weren't expecting as much company as they received. Ursa walked into the kitchen, watching the calamity around her. She picked up a glass and called everyone to attention.

Everyone stopped working and showed her they were listening. She cleared her voice before speaking. "I know you all heard the verdict out there, but for the end of today, I am still the reigning Fire Lady, and as such I must guide you to success." She placed the glass back down and walked over to the head chef. "What seems to be the problem?"

The head chef bowed lightly before responding. "We weren't expecting this sort of turnout. We don't have enough food for all the people here. We are at a loss." He had sort of a nervous misdemeanor, probably used to being treated poorly by the previous royals.

She placed her hand on his shoulder, calming him. "Don't worry. Here is what we do. Anything in the kitchen that can be used as appetizers, prepare them immediately. Appetizers calm the storm in people's stomach momentarily while we prepare the main course. Iroh will help you come up with something that can feed everyone here with the supplies you do have." The next sentence she said loud enough for everyone to hear. "I want you all to stay calm. You will make it through this. Just listen to Iroh and the head chef and you will have a successful night." She squeezed his shoulder gently before giving everyone an encouraging glance and leaving the kitchen.

Everyone was suddenly filled with an overflowing amount of energy. The staff hurried over to Iroh to hear his opinions, hoping that the Lady would be correct in her assumptions and things go smoothly.

Iroh gave them his orders, seeing that they are done properly. _Ursa is still able to give people hope. That is the one thing about her that will never change._

* * *

Mai laid in bed with her hand over her face. She took in deep breaths, trying to calm down from the encounter with Ursa. "How dare she treat me like a child?!" She threw whatever was on the night stand at the door and heard it break. She quickly threw herself out of bed and over to where the broken object was.

She began picking up the pieces carefully and placing it on the dresser. When she was finished, she left the room and walked around the halls. She was avoiding the party so she wouldn't have to face Ursa in front of Zuko.

"Mai!" The call of her name made her turn on her heels. Ty Lee was running full speed towards her. She stopped right before collision. Mai didn't move one inch, used to the young acrobat trying to startle her.

Ty Lee grinned at her friend, grabbing her arm. "You're missing the party. Don't you want to congratulate Zuko?"

Mai quickly yanked her arm away from her. Before she could explain herself, Ty Lee's face looked slightly hurt. "I already congratulated him." She avoided eye contact with Ty Lee.

"I heard what Zuko asked you. If you are going to be the future Fire Lady, then you need to get used to parties like these."

"Shush! Don't say that so loud!" Mai wrapped her hand around Ty Lee's mouth. "Look, he may have proposed, but that doesn't mean I accepted, ok? I told him I would think about it."

The sounds of a mumbled reply came from Ty Lee's mouth. Mai released her, letting the younger girl breathe. "Are you crazy?! Why wouldn't you want to marry him?"

Mai sighed heavily. "You're too young to understand."

Ty Lee glared at her for that. "Don't you think you are acting high and mighty for someone only a little older than me? Why wouldn't you want to marry him? You used to have the hugest crush on him and now he's ready to commit to you. Do you not like him anymore?"

"Of course I like him, but this is a question of love Ty Lee. You heard the Fire Sage, the Fire Lady can be chosen out of love now, not just position. That means that Zuko needs to marry the person he truly loves and I think he only chose me because that is the safest choice."

Confused eyes stared back at Mai. Ty Lee leaned against the wall, playing with her braid. Her voice became serious. "Nothing is safe when it comes to love."

Mai didn't know what to say to something like that, especially from a playful spirit like Ty Lee. She couldn't come up with anything to refute the girl's statement, so she tried to change the direction of the conversation. "His mother doesn't like me. I'm sure you were listening in on that discussion."

"I did. It doesn't matter. Ursa can't stay here without a 24 hour guard, which means her opinion won't change anything if you guys got married tomorrow or anytime she wasn't here." The acrobat gave the older girl a reassuring look.

Mai simply scoffed. "You think Zuko would get married without his mother being there? Now that he has her back, he isn't going to let her go so easily. I think he will try to change the ban."

"So that's it, you're not even going to try?!" Ty Lee seemed fed up with Mai's pessimistic attitude.

Mai's hand grabbed her own arm. "I'm not sure I love him Ty Lee. I don't want to get married just because of feelings I used to have. I want to make sure I still love him before anything else happens."

Ty Lee shook her head. "I think you're stalling for time. You know how you feel. You just don't want to cause a conflict between Zuko and his mother. She probably told you whatever she did to scare you away. She can see you are easily persuaded from things you truly want and she is trying to see if Zuko is really that important to you. People who are in love don't bend to anyone's rules, no matter what."

Biting her lip, Mai was again speechless. Then she was suddenly angry. "Who made you an expert on love anyway? Why are you so interested in my relationship with Zuko? Instead of paying attention to me, why don't you find someone to love and mind your own business?"

Stunned, Ty Lee felt angry tears beginning to form. "I'm sorry that I wanted my best friend to be happy. I'm sorry that I want Zuko to find happiness after everything he went through. Ursa is right, you don't deserve Zuko. You're too heartless to love anything." Ty Lee runs off to the party before she says anything else she would regret.

Mai pretends that Ty Lee's words didn't hurt her, but she could feel her heart begin to ache. At times like this, only one person could make her feel better. She shook the emptiness out of her and decides that she will go to the party, hoping that Ursa is there. _I hope everyone is ready for a show._

* * *

The staff announced to the party that the food would be ready after another 30 minutes. Sokka's stomach reacted to the news. Katara turned back at her brother, slightly disgusted. "Didn't you eat something just a couple of hours ago?"

He let out a small laugh. "That was breakfast, which was hours ago. We had the whole coronation and the events before it, so we never really got lunch."

Katara's eyes shifted to the Zuko, observing him carefully. He was talking to an earth nation villager who seemed to be having problems. Katara couldn't help but smile to herself. _Zuko will become a fine king. He already seems to have the hang of it._

Somebody passed her out of the corner of her eye. She realized who it was immediately. It was Mai, who was heading over to Zuko. Something in Katara became angry. Maybe it was the heated conflict between them in the past months or the recent information Mai had supplied them, she didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't like her.

The earth nation villager whom Zuko was talking to bowed graciously before heading back to other fellow villagers, all eager for the coming news. Mai strode over to Zuko, grabbing his arm lightly. Zuko smiled at her, whispering something to her. She leaned upward and whispered something back to him.

From where Katara was spying, she could see how much Zuko brightened up after seeing Mai. Her stomach churned uncomfortably. Aang approached Katara, tapping her on the shoulder. "Is something wrong? You seem troubled."

Her face changed, forcing a smile upon her face. "Nothing is wrong. What made you ask something like that?"

Aang wasn't convinced. "You had your angry face on and now you're faking a smile. If something is wrong, you can tell me."

"I can't. You will just think I am being petty." She gave a small scowl.

"I won't know if you don't tell me." He lowered his voice a little. Everyone was coming into their proximity since they were standing next to one of the dining tables.

Katara gave a long sigh. "I don't like Mai being here. She was an enemy and a supporter of Azula. I don't think she should be welcomed with open arms. She doesn't seem trustworthy."

Aang raised his eyebrow. "You said the same thing about Zuko when he wanted to become my teacher and you saw how that worked out. Are you sure this has nothing to do with what she told you earlier? That was in the past. People can change Katara."

"I knew you would think I was just being petty. This has nothing to do with my mother or any of the stuff she told us earlier. I just have a bad feeling about her."

There was a call to attention. The kitchen staff announced that the food was ready. Everyone sat down at the table, getting ready for the feast that the staff had whipped up. Katara took one more look at Mai and Zuko before going over to sit with her friends at Zuko's table.

Zuko sat at the head. On his right were his mother, Iroh, Katara and Aang. On the left were Mai, Ty Lee, Sokka and Toph. They were all seated and talking to each other, except for Ty Lee, who wasn't speaking at all. Sokka turned to her, wondering why she was so quiet. "What's wrong?"

Ty Lee sighed, putting her head on the table. "It's hard trying to be friends with people who don't appreciate you." Mai had heard Ty Lee's remark, but she chose to ignore it.

Sokka looked over Ty Lee at Mai. "Did you guys get into a fight or something?"

She shook her head. "You have to get in a fight with a friend. She isn't my friend." She left it at that.

He was going to say something else, but Toph tapped him on the shoulder and advised him against it.

Ursa got up from her chair, hitting her glass with a fork. "Attention everyone. I would like to make a toast." All the attendees became silent, their eyes on her. "Now, I know my fate after today will be questionable, but I am glad to be here today so I could see my dear son be crowned the king of this fine nation. Ever since I gave birth to him, I believed that he would someday become someone very important. I am proud to call him my son and I hope that he is proud to call me his mother." Ursa's voice cracked at the ending. "I'm sorry I'm getting emotional. In short, let us honor my son, the new king of the Fire Nation." She raised her glass. "To King Zuko."

The room echoed the sentence. She sat down, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Zuko patted her knee, giving her his thanks. Mai rolled her eyes, not believing Ursa's little act for a minute. _She treated me like a child, so now I will show her what it's like to underestimate me._

Mai stood up from her seat, everyone's eyes already on her. She became nervous, not used to talking in front of so many people, but her resolve wouldn't let her sit down. "A party is meant to celebrate good news. Earlier, something very important was weighing on my mind and I didn't think I could come to a decision, but now I know the answer is pretty clear."

Her eyes glanced over at Ursa, giving her a quick, menacing glare. "King Zuko has asked for my hand in marriage." There was a unanimous gasp and there were a couple of murmurs in the crowd.

Shooting upright, Ursa let out a mid-sized shriek. "You are NOT marrying my son! I forbid it!" Before Mai could speak another word, Ursa grabbed her arm and yanks her in the direction of the kitchen. Zuko was going to follow them, but Ty Lee and Katara got up before him. As Katara passed him, she said quickly, "I'll make sure she doesn't hurt her." He nodded his head.

Katara turned back and headed to the kitchen. _Without me helping her._ When she entered the kitchen, Ursa was shouting at Mai, with Mai shouting back just as loud. Ty Lee was standing there, observing the both of them.

The two girls watched the two go at it, screaming back and forth, not sure if they would be able to interject.

Ursa was furious. "How DARE you insult me in front of all those people? I told you to forget about being with Zuko and you announce something like that?!"

"It's not like it wasn't true! He proposed to me before the coronation." Mai glared at her, trying to bore holes into the older woman.

"How do I even know that is true? You're probably lying."

"Why would I lie about something like this? Zuko would have immediately objected if I didn't."

"How could he if you announced it in front of everyone? He isn't the kind of boy to embarrass someone in front of his guests."

"Look at you, calling Zuko a boy. He isn't a boy anymore! You can't keep thinking that you can baby him and he will listen to you anytime you don't agree with something."

"I can do whatever I want! He's my son and he will not be marrying you!"

"You have no authority here. After tonight, you won't be allowed here without a 24 hour guard. You will have no say in his decisions or anything in his life. You will be NOTHING to him."

Ursa was about to say something, but she quickly changed her mind. "You are such a conniving little bitch! I was BANISHED from this nation without having contact with my parents or ANYONE who was important to me. I couldn't be anywhere NEAR my son and you have the audacity to stand here and say that he isn't my boy anymore! You better be glad that there is a bunch of people in the other room or I would have slapped some sense into you!"

The remaining kitchen staff were scared out of their mind. They weren't used to the angry side of Ursa. Most of them were in the farthest corner of the room.

Ty Lee couldn't take any more of this. "How could you Mai?"

Mai turned back to look at her, a slimmer of regret showing in her facial expression.

"You told me you weren't even sure you were in love with him and now you are here telling everyone that you are getting married to him? You really wanted to spite Ursa that much?"

Katara glared at Mai, feeling even angrier than she was. "That is terrible, even for you."

Mai switched glance between the three women. "Why is everyone ganging up on me? I didn't do anything wrong! He did propose to me and I told them the truth. Don't pretend you're all better than me."

Katara shouted. "You don't even love him! How are you going to marry him?"

"Ursa did it! She is living proof that you can marry without love!" Mai pointed at her as she yelled this.

A hand flew across Mai's cheek. Mai turned to the owner of the hand. Ursa's eyes didn't show any hatred, just remorse. "If I could have chosen, I wouldn't have chosen this life for myself. I was forced to marry Ozai. I wouldn't choose that life for my worst enemy, so I will NOT have my son marry someone who doesn't even love him."

Katara and Ty Lee went over to Ursa, trying to calm her down. She shook them off. "I need to get some air." She stalked out of the kitchen, using the back exit.

Ty Lee turned over to Mai, sucking air through her teeth. "Well I hope you are satisfied. You got your huge revenge that you were plotting since yesterday. Did it make you feel good? I hope it did because you have caused this party to be ruined because of your selfishness." She was about to exit the kitchen, but she whispered something to Mai before leaving. "You're no different than Azula."

Mai became cold, not feeling anything anymore. That name always made her feel empty inside. Ty Lee walked out and found her seat again. Everyone stared at her, waiting for an update. Ty Lee turned her head towards Zuko and shook it solemnly.

Mai's knees began to wobble and she fell to the linoleum floor. Katara leaned forward, enough to whisper into her ear. "You know, I was going to get my personal revenge on you for my mother, but I don't think I need to do that. You pretty much made yourself useless by your own means." Katara left the kitchen too, stopping by Zuko's chair, telling him what transpired.

Zuko stood up. "I will be back," he announced to no one in particular. He threw the door open and strolled in. He spotted Mai on the floor, shivering. "Did you get out all that you needed to?"

Mai didn't answer him back. She didn't even look up at him as he walked in. She just stared at the floor beneath her, not moving.

"I heard that this whole thing was just to spite my mother." He kneeled down beside her. "I can't believe you did all this just because my mom said she didn't like you. I would have tried to persuade her into accepting you, but after all this, she won't forgive you. Now I have a room filled with people thinking I am marrying you. You didn't even accept the proposal."

She still didn't say anything. She refused to let him get to her. She wasn't wrong. She didn't do anything wrong. She will not admit that she is wrong.

"Now what do we do now?" He lifted her head up so she had to look at him. Her eyes moved to the side so she didn't have to.

"You don't have to do anything. Let them believe it. You want to marry me, don't you?" Her chest hurt. Even breathing brought her pain. The name Azula always brought this panic attack on.

"That would be all fine and good if you really wanted to, but you don't. You're not even sure if you love me." He let her go, wiping his robes off. "Normally, I would go in front of those people and set them straight, but I don't have to do that. You made this mess, you fix it. You're going to go in there and tell those people that the proposal was false and you made it up."

Mai tried standing up, leaning against the counter. "But it wasn't a lie. You did propose to me."

Zuko stared at her. "Did I? Can you prove that I did?"

Mai's eyes widened. "Are you really going to do this? All over something so small? I didn't do anything wrong!"

He moved closer to her, his words almost silent. "This is the punishment you chose for yourself. You chose to use my proposal of love as a means for a personal vendetta. Do you know how much that hurt me?" He pulled back, showing the hurt on his facial expression. "Just in case you didn't get the memo, the proposal's off."

Her body found its balance and she stared at him indifferently. "Fine. If you are going to end it over something this minor, then our marriage wouldn't have worked anyway." She walked out of the kitchen and out in front of the crowd. The room silenced immediately.

She looked at everyone in the room. "The proposal wasn't real. I lied. I wanted to see how the citizens would react to a new Fire Lady. I don't think you guys are prepared yet. I guess I did Zuko a favor. Enjoy the food and the rest of the party everyone." She turned on her heel and left the room as quickly as possible.

* * *

Zuko sat back down and sighed heavily. Katara cleared her throat lightly. He turned his head toward her and saw Aang and Katara staring at him. Aang asks, "Are you ok? You can tell us if you want to."

"I don't know. I think I shouldn't have made her do that. I'm not sure if I'm going to regret it later." The food was brought to the table and they all fixed their plates.

"I think she deserved it." Katara spoke up. Aang glared at her lightly, but she continued regardless. "She knew what she was doing before she got up and announced that in front of everyone. She should have been aware of the consequences before she did something like that."

He let out a sigh. "I guess you're right. I didn't know what else to do though. Aang, do you think I should have done it differently?"

Aang scratches his head. "I'm not really sure. I don't know what else you could have done. I guess you could have handled it less… loudly."

Zuko let out a groan. He wasn't feeling any pressure from the party or being the new king, but now he felt flustered and knew everyone's eyes were on him. He felt self-conscious and he didn't know what to do about it.

"You know, she had it coming. Don't feel that bad." Zuko turned over to Ty Lee, who was eating her food quietly. She looked back at him. "She did that after I yelled at her for being indecisive and avoiding the conflict between her and your mother. She lashed out this way because she felt cornered."

Zuko sucked in air between his teeth. "She could have talked to me before doing something so rash."

"Well looked what happened. You ended your engagement for her outburst. Do you think you guys would have survived the barrage that your mother had in store for her? Your mother is very stubborn and she wouldn't have been quiet about this."

He was silent, reliving the words Mai had said in the kitchen. "_Fine. If you are going to end it over something this minor, then our marriage wouldn't have worked anyway._" He groaned internally. "I think I made a stupid decision."

Ty Lee wiped her mouth. "You can always fix it tomorrow. Let everyone calm down and you can talk to her tomorrow morning. She'll probably think about how stupid she acted and will forgive you."

"I guess." He stared at his plate, reluctantly eating it. He didn't really have an appetite after the earlier events, but his stomach objected. _If every day is like tonight, I don't think I will be able to handle doing this for very long._

* * *

Mai had never felt so humiliated in her life. She was crouched down on the ground outside the main hall, her head in her hands. "Why was everyone against me? I didn't do anything wrong!" Somewhere in the back of her mind someone argued with her, but she threw those thoughts out.

There was another voice egging her on, telling her to make even more mistakes and get everyone angrier, but she ignored that one too. She was too busy ignoring those two voices that one of them came through. _She wouldn't think you were wrong. She would have been on your side. She believes in you more than anyone._

Mai stood up, looking around. She didn't recognize the voice. She thought it was coming from around her, not internally. It spoke again. _She would never turn you away. She would accept you no matter what. She would love you forever. All you have to do is go to her._

Her feet began moving without her acknowledgment. She didn't know where she was headed, but she knew that she could trust her instinct. The path she was taking was deep within the forest. There wasn't even a clean path. Using her survival knowledge, someone used the path frequently, but they left shrubs and grass to hide it from people's view.

She happened upon the older parts of the castle that were ruined years ago. She didn't know why she was there, but her body made her move toward it. There was an opening that led to some rusty stairs. She carefully descended down them, her hand on the edge in case they caved. When she reached the bottom, she realized she was in an old prison.

Mai walked the chamber, seeing the prison cells, thinking all of them were empty. She approached the one at the end, finding a body chained against the wall. She gasped lightly, not expecting anyone to be in the cell. She came up to the bars, staring at the person in it. They weren't moving. "H-hello?" She didn't receive an answer. She believed the person was dead.

Then the person's head lifted upwards, showing feminine features. The lips were cracked, showing how dehydrated they were. The hair was a mess, knots everywhere and matted like a bird's nest. The skin was pale, resembling a vampire. The voice that came out of the woman's mouth sounded deep and delirious. "Why are you staring at me like you've seen a ghost?"

Mai would have recognized this voice anywhere. It chilled her to the bone and she would have nightmares about it. Even now, her knees were on the verge of giving out. She had to lean against the wall to keep herself steady. She stared at the woman again, not wanting to trust her eyes. Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "A-Azula?"

The woman's mouth upturned into a smirk. "Who else would it be, dear Mai?"

Mai's worst nightmare had come true and now, as Azula's eyes stared back at her, she couldn't keep her consciousness. Her knees finally gave and she passed out, hitting her head as she falls to the ground.

* * *

**Afterthoughts:** Tell me what you think of the twist at the end and this chapter in general. Does it seem to fit well with the story? I was kind of on a roll and didn't wanna stop writing and I knew how long it's been since I released a chapter. Write a review and tell me what you think. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! It's been awhile! Sorry for taking so long on uploading this chapter. I have been dealing with a lot of crap with college. Being poor sucks! Well, I sort of have everything together so I thought I would finish up this chapter and have it up for all you beautiful readers. I hope to update more frequently. I move back on campus on the 11th of August so it will be pretty hectic around that time. I will have to update my summary on this story and when you get to the end of the story, you will see why. Anyway, please enjoy!  
**Disclaimer: **I do not own I do not own Avatar, its characters or anything affiliated. If I did, Ursa would have been in the show. xD

* * *

Chapter 8

When Mai awoke, she found herself in her own bed, not knowing whether what happened the night before was a nightmare or if it really occurred. She ran her hand through her hair, trying to calm herself. Her feet found the ground and she walked into the bathroom to splash some water on her face.

The water was cool, helping her to regain her thoughts. When she looked up at the mirror, Azula's disheveled face was staring back at her. Mai gasped and backed away from it.

Azula upper lip curled up into a snarl. "Now how are you going to forget about me, dear Mai?" She let out a breathless laugh.

Mai let out a bloodcurdling scream, waking herself up from her recent nightmare. She found herself on the ground, with a dull, throbbing pain in her forehead. She touched it lightly, the area feeling tender. _Why was I having a dream about Azula?_ A laugh came from the cell in front of her.

The body Mai had found in the cell was staring back at here. Her face looked amused, like she was enjoying Mai's suffering. The prisoner's head craned over to the side, showing off a devious smile.

Mai's hands pushed herself off the floor. She quickly pressed against the wall furthest from the cell. "Azula. How are you still alive? I thought they executed you and your father? Where is your guard?"

Azula didn't say anything at first. She hadn't seen anybody in days other than the one guard who fed her three times a day. She didn't even see her brother much unless it was to interrogate her. She wouldn't even talk to him, let alone look at him. That was the only time she ever had contact with the outside world. Now, her childhood friend has come here to visit her.

Her lips curled up into a smile again. "Would you have been happy if I was? It's ok to tell the truth." She moved her head and the sound of bones cracking filled the air.

Mai flinched from the sound and replied, "I would have been, but everything has been going to shit lately and I guess that is why I ended up here with you. You are the only person left I have to talk to now."

The sound of the despair in Mai's voice was only slight, as the girl never did show too much emotion. Azula was about to reply back, but she heard someone coming. "You should leave. If someone sees you here, they will think you are going to help me escape. That will be bad."

"It wouldn't matter. It's not like anyone would be too surprised." Mai's eyes were brimming with hatred. Her hand clutched the fabric on her dress.

Azula quickly recognized this emotion and, as she normally would, she took advantage of it. "I don't need you to get caught. Go back to the castle as if nothing happened. Come visit me tomorrow, early in the morning. You can tell me what is troubling you."

The sound of footsteps filled the air. Mai shook her head before running in the direction away from the stairs. Luckily, there was another exit. She looked back once more before heading back to the castle.

* * *

Zuko woke up in his bed, his head pounding from the headache he had the night before. All the festivities and the incidents had his exhausted afterwards. As soon as the party was over, his maids prepared him for bed and he was knocked out quickly.

Before he could swing his feet out of his bed, two maids was in there tending to his every need. One was preparing his bath while the other undressed him. Normally he would interject and tell them that he could do it himself, but he didn't have the energy to do so. Once he was in the bath, he could feel his headache easing away.

The bath was beginning to get cold, so Zuko ended up getting out. Once he did, he was dried and clothed. He was supposed to go to eat breakfast, but he didn't want to go there right away. Instead, he went walking around the castle, heading to Mai's room to talk to her.

Mai was lying in her bed, her hand holding her head. She couldn't go to sleep because every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was Azula. That would be enough to keep anyone up for days to come. She also had a pounding headache from when her forehead collided with the bars of the cell.

There was a knock at the door. Mai got up from the bed and opened it, suddenly feeling even worse than she did before. "What do you want? Here to humiliate me further?" She went back to the bed to lie back down, trying to do whatever she could to avoid making eye contact with Zuko.

"I know what I did last night was out of line, but so were you. You did all of this to get at my mom. What was I supposed to do, leave my mom out to dry? She just got back into my life." He stared at her still form.

"Opposed to the woman who was supposed to be your wife? You already made me look like a little kid with a lovesick crush on the old prince. No one is going to take me seriously now!" Mai wasn't used to hearing herself yell, but it seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Zuko sat down on the bed next to her. She slid her body further away from him, hoping he would get the message. He sighed lightly. "What do you want me to say?"

A scoff left Mai's lips. She turned over to look at him. "How about an apology? You didn't even have the decency to do that when I let you into my room."

"You're right. I'm sorry." Zuko's hand goes to her side and squeezes it lightly.

Mai turned and stared at him. "That's it? That's all you have to say is I'm sorry?" She got up from the bed. "You know what Zuko, I knew this wouldn't work out from the beginning. You don't know how to treat a woman and you are absolutely insensitive. You humiliate me in front of everyone and the way you apologize is, 'I'm sorry.' That's all you have to say?! Don't worry about it. You don't have to feel guilty at all. You mean nothing to me now."

Zuko was about to say something, but Mai stormed out of the room before he could. She ran out of the castle and back to the abandoned building that Azula was being held. Before Mai realized it, she was standing in right in front of it. She walked up to entrance, but she saw a guard sitting there.

The guard stood up, blocking the entrance. "State your business."

Mai gulped lightly. "I'm here to see the prisoner." She left her face looking bored, though she knew that he could see through it.

"No one is allowed inside unless King Zuko authorizes it." He didn't say anything else after that. He made a face to say that she needed to leave promptly.

Mai glared at him. "And who does King Zuko have authorized to visit her, no one? If she has no contact with anyone, she will go crazy. Do you think that I will let her out? If anyone is happy she is behind bars, it's me."

"Then why do you want to visit her?" He shifted his weight to the other leg.

She looked down at the ground and kicked the gravel. Her mind made up an answer and she let herself believe it. "She's still my friend. Even though she went demented and did some terrible things, she is a childhood friend. Now, will you please let me in?"

The guard seemed to be debating whether or not to let her enter, but then he stepped to the side. "I can't let you stay in there all day. There is another guard coming in a couple of hours." He sat back down in his seat.

Mai smiled lightly and bowed. She quickly walked through the entrance and down the stairs. When she made it to Azula's cell, the older girl's head perked up. "Good. You came back. I was worried that you wouldn't."

"Why wouldn't I? There's nothing for me at the castle." Mai sinks to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs. She stares at Azula's disheveled form. "It doesn't really matter. You don't really care anyway."

Azula's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why would I ask if I didn't care Mai? Listen, when you have been down here as long as I have, you become attached to anything that includes other people, especially if the other people are your friends."

Even though she heard Azula's, Mai didn't believe them. She looked up at the prisoned girl, trying to figure out whether she was telling the truth or not. Azula's face looked sincere, but the younger girl knew that Azula was a master at faking emotions. _I highly doubt that she is being genuine, but I will play along for now._ "Well thanks Azula. I didn't think you cared."

"Well then dear Mai, tell me what happened that has got you so depressed." Even though Azula couldn't really move, her form turned more attentive and reassuring.

Mai sighed lightly. Her hand went to her hair lying on her shoulder. She started running her hands through it while she talked. "Well, Ty Lee and I went to visit Zuko before his coronation and Zuko said he needed to talk to me about something serious. When Ty Lee and the maids left, he asked me to marry him and be the next Fire Lady. I didn't know how to respond, so I said we could date each other and if everything goes well, I will accept."

Azula nodded her head. "So I am just going to guess that it didn't go well, but I will let you finish your story. Continue."

"Well you're right, but it may not be the way you are thinking of. Before I begin, I need to tell you something important." Mai turned to face Azula. "Your mom is back in the castle."

The older girl's body stiffened. "I know. She came here to visit me the other day. The worst experience I had to go through. I will tell you about that later."

Mai's eyes widened. _Maybe she came here after our argument in the kitchen… _"Right. Anyway, before Zuko was made king, his mother comes in making a big scene about how she is back. She then goes on to tell what happened to get her banished and what she has been doing all this time. All the nations voted whether or not she will be banished again. She isn't allowed to live in the castle, but if she decides to visit, she has to be followed by a guard."

"So that is why there was a man following her in here. Makes sense now." Azula's eyes were closed. She was taking in all this new information for later on. She opened her eyes up again. "Carry on."

Her hands continued going through her hair. Mai took a deep breath and continued her tale. "After the verdict, the coronation continued. Then we went to the banquet. Ty Lee and I had a squabble before it and had us on edge. Earlier at breakfast, Zuko told the Avatar and his friends about his proposal. The young waterbender was angry about the tale Ursa told about how Ozai burned down the island Ursa was stowed away on long ago. It was the reason they killed the waterbender's mother."

Azula let out a sharp laugh. "Oh that is just grand. Something that happened so long ago affected our enemies even then."

Mai felt a chill go through her body from Azula's laugh. "Well, that is how she feels. Anyway, after the fight with Ty Lee, I went over to Zuko in the banquet, making sure that his mother and everyone saw how close I was to him. When it was time for the feast, your mother gave this speech that only brought her to tears. After her toast, I made an announcement that I would be the next Fire Lady."

"Well that makes sense. You _are_ going to be the next Fire Lady. Might as well tell everyone while they are there." Azula saw nothing wrong with Mai's decision.

"I thought so too, but it is the reason why I did it that made it wrong. Your mom didn't want me with Zuko. She thought I would corrupt him or whatever her mind was thinking. When I announced it at the banquet, I did it only to get her angry. She dragged me into the kitchen to yell at me. Ty Lee and the waterbender came in there also. They all ganged up on me. When your mother was done with tearing me down, she left. Everyone else left me there and Zuko came in and told me the engagement was off. He also told me to go out there and tell everyone I was only kidding and that the proposal was untrue." Mai's face contorted with slight grief.

Chains rattled quickly after that. Mai looked up to see Azula seething. Azula was moving her hands into fists. "How dare they do that to you Mai?! You were offered a real proposal and you were only telling the truth. How could Zuko make a fool out of you in front of all those people?!"

Mai's eyes were downcast. "I don't know, but he did. That's not even the worst part of it. He didn't even apologize. When I told him he didn't, all he gave me was an 'I'm sorry.' Nothing more. It wasn't even sincere at all! What the hell am I supposed to do now? Everyone just knows me as the girl who made a fool of herself at the banquet. My life is ruined." Mai's hands went to her face, trying to cover the tears that were brimming.

Suddenly a loud noise came from Azula's cell. Mai lifted her head up quickly, gasping lightly. Azula had removed her bonds and was melting the bars on her cell. She stooped down to Mai, wrapping her arms around her. "I'm so sorry Mai."

The guard who was outside came storming into the prison quarters. His eyes widened and his gaze went immediately to Mai. "I thought you said you wouldn't let her out. You are committing a serious crime."

Azula let out a menacing laugh. "Did you think those little restraints could keep me in there forever? Maybe if you starved me and treated me like shit, you would have had a chance. That is the problem with dear Zuzu, he is too weak." She walks over to the guard. The guard quickly backs away from her, knowing how much of a threat she is.

Before the guard could do anything, Mai threw a knife at the guard's side, pinning him to the wall. She got up quickly and knocked him unconscious. Azula raised her eyebrow towards Mai. "Why did you do that for?"

Mai's expression went back to being bored. "I didn't want you to kill him. The quicker we get out of here, the farther away we can get. I don't want to be thrown in a cell for helping you escape."

"We are not running Mai. We're going to the castle. I am not going to be treated as a prisoner anymore." Azula's words oozed with authority.

Mai's eyes looked terrified. "Are you crazy?! Before you even step on the property, they'll have you killed! Are you honestly going to try and reason with them?"

The older woman walked over to Mai, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. "My dear Mai, who said anything about reasoning? If they don't listen to me, I'll kill them. Simple as that." She turned promptly on her toes and walked out of the prison hold.

Mai ran after her. "Wait Azula. You said you were going to tell me what happened with your mother."

Both of them stopped walking. Azula turned back to Mai. "This is hardly the time for that. You were the one who said we didn't have time to waste. That story will take some time."

"I guarantee this mission you are going on is a desperate one. If you are caught, I will be too. They will not put our cells next to each other. I will never figure out what you were going to tell me. We will always have time to storm the castle. If we leave now, we will have the time to make a plan." Mai's eyes look sort of desperate, as if she was trying to convince Azula not to take her life.

Azula let out a sigh. "Look, it's sweet of you to worry about me, but I'm not a child anymore. I can handle myself. I have been stuck in this cell ever since the battle. I haven't seen the light of day since then. I am going to punish the one who gave this order to keep me locked away. If you don't want to join me, you don't have to, but I am doing this. Make your decision now." Azula sat on a big rock, waiting for Mai's reply.

Mai was absolutely perplexed. She didn't know what she wanted to do. If she went with Azula, she knew they would be captured or killed. If she didn't, she will be letting Azula go all by herself to be slaughtered. She didn't like either choice, but she wouldn't want to die by herself, so she won't let Azula die alone. She sighed heavily. "Fine. I will go with you, but you better promise me that we will make it out of this alive. Do _not_ kill anyone. I mean it Azula."

"I can't promise you that. They will try to kill me." Her expression for a split second was slightly saddened.

"Well of course they will! You have been hunting them down mercilessly for months! You have done some terrible things to all of them. I would want to kill you too if I was on their side. You almost killed me for letting Zuko escape The Boiling Rock."

"You were supposed to have my back Mai! If not you, who else was I supposed to trust?! I didn't have anyone else! Ty Lee and you were all I had left and you both abandoned me! That was why I was in that cell by myself, because you two betrayed me!"

Mai was speechless. She had never seen Azula this defenseless before. _Maybe all that time in a cell really changed her after all. _"I thought I loved him back then and I didn't want you to kill him. You threatened me to help you back then Azula, like you usually do. If it doesn't go your way, you have to hurt someone. That was why we left and Zuko had all those people around him. He didn't have to threaten people to like him."

"Look where that got you. He threw you away and now you came crawling back to me." Azula folded her arms across her chest.

Mai's mouth gaped open, letting out a stutter of noises. "You know what, fuck you! I can't believe that I thought you changed! I thought you rotting in that cell finally changed you, but all you have done is gotten worse! The reason you were alone was because you are a heartless bitch! You don't care about anyone but yourself! That is why everyone left you and let you burn by yourself!"

"You want to know why I chose you to be my friend Mai? It's because you are weak. You couldn't do anything by yourself. If I wasn't telling you to do something, you would have let yourself be a lap dog for anyone else. At least if I used you, you would have become something useful. Now look at you. You think you're better than me because you chose to leave the heartless bitch? It makes you pathetic! At least I fought for something that I believed in, even though it was totally one-sided. When was the last time you have fought for something you wanted? Never! You just watch from the sidelines while others are accomplishing something."

"Don't you _dare_ talk about me like I'm nothing! I was the _only_ person who cared about you when you were in your selfish, spoiled moods! I was actually trying to be your friend! You pushed me aside as soon as your daddy went and offered you a chance to be the ruler of the fire nation. He used you as a lap dog and you happily went running with your tail between your legs! At least I knew when I was being controlled. You were stupid enough to think that you were important to your father. He banished Zuko and he was still more important to Ozai than you _ever_ was!"

Azula got up from her rock and slapped Mai in the face. "My dad _never_ controlled me to do anything! I knew what I was doing every second of the way! You are just a sad, pathetic woman who doesn't know anything about friendship, love or happiness. That is why Zuko was cheating on you when you guys were first dating! He didn't want an emotionless girl who he could only use for sex!"

Mai gasped loudly, holding her face from where Azula slapped. The younger girl's body is shaking. "The only thing you can do is hurt people. No wonder your mother didn't love you. She must have been scared of a devil child like you. There is no one who cares about you anymore. You lost all the people who actually did."

Azula growls loudly. "This is exactly what I am talking about Mai! You don't fight back! I slap you and you do nothing! What is the point of yelling at me?! Words can only do so much!" Azula quickly shoves Mai back. "Fight back!"

"Fine! You want me to fight back?" Mai's arm moves back as far as possible and slaps Azula so hard across the face, she stumbles backwards. "I am tired of how you egg people on to be the worst! Are you satisfied that I hit you? Did you get off on the fact that I am hurting you?"

Both girls are fuming with anger. Azula stares down at Mai. "I guess everything you said is right. I am a selfish bitch who controls people with threats. I have always been that way and no one tried to change me. What else am I supposed to do? No one seemed to care to tell me to change, so why would I?"

Mai let some of her anger leave her. "Everyone was afraid of you. How could we tell you anything when your ego was so far up your ass, no one could reach it? You wouldn't have listened to us."

"There it goes. You guys didn't even try! You just assumed that I wouldn't listen and left me by myself to rot. Why didn't you guys try to say anything? I would have listened to you two. You guys were important to me…" Azula looked down at the ground.

Before Mai could say anything, she could hear the guard begin to stir. "We need to go." Mai grabs Azula by the hand and lead her down the path to the castle. "For now, I can sneak you into the castle and hide you in my room. Hopefully everyone will be at breakfast and not wandering the halls."

Azula didn't say anything. She just let Mai lead her wherever. All the angry words flung at each other finally took their toll on her. Tears started forming in her eyes. She bit them all back, not daring to cry in front of Mai of all people, the one that caused the tears.

Mai lead the two down a dark hallway, leading to the guest quarters of the castle. She stopped, trying to hear if there is anyone coming down the hallway. The hall was totally silent. She was about to walk around the corner, but Azula pulled her into a dark corner. Azula's finger goes up to her lips, signaling Mai to be quiet.

Zuko walks down the hallway, running into Katara who is walking in the opposite direction. "Hey Zuko. Did you apologize to Mai?"

He sighs deeply. "I tried to, but I think I made it worse." He scratches his head lightly.

"Maybe it's for the best. Your mother didn't want you two to be together. Maybe there is someone else out there more fitted for you." Katara gives off a warm smile.

Mai lets out a tiny scoff. Azula covers Mai's mouth with her hand, giving her a menacing look to tell her to shut it.

"I don't think so, but I will take what you said into consideration." Zuko gives off the same warm smile. "Where were you heading? This is the opposite direction of the dining hall."

Katara shakes her head. "Ever since the war, I haven't practiced any waterbending. I have been afraid to try anything because of the nightmares." Her hand goes up to side of her head. "I can't get any good sleep either. Maybe if I get in some practice, I will tire myself out and I will be too exhausted to have the nightmares."

"Let me help you with your practice. Sparring takes more energy than just practicing waterbending." Zuko's eyes seemed to gleam with happiness. The thought of getting any fighting practice made him excited.

Katara cocked her head to the side. "That's fine with me, but don't think I will go easy on you because you're the king. I will still kick your ass." She let out a small laugh.

"You could never beat me. Maybe in your dreams." He gave her a quick pat on the back. "Meet me in the courtyard in a couple of minutes. I have to change into something I can fight in."

"Won't make much of a difference. You'll still lose. Alright then. See you there." She gives him a wave and walks off.

Zuko waves back and starts walking to the royal chambers, humming to himself.

Azula removes her hand from Mai's mouth. Mai lets out a huge breath. "Were you trying to kill me?!"

The older woman smiles. "You were trying to get us caught. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be locked up again. Come on. Lead the way."

Mai starts mumbling off some choice words, but she steers Azula to her room, quickly checking both directions before walking in. She quickly pushes her in and closes the door. "Well, this is your prison now."

"At least it's a nicer one." She looks around the room, stretching her arms.

Mai goes to the bathroom, spotting the huge red mark on her face from when Azula slapped her. "Ouch." Mai turns on the sink and splashes water on her face. She dries it off with a hand towel. She then turns to Azula. "Do you want to take a bath?"

"Oh god yes. They had me chained down there forever. Everyone will probably be able to smell me in the halls." Azula begins undressing quickly.

"Alright then." Mai went over to the massive tub and started brewing a bath. After making sure the water is the right temperature, she felt like taking a bath as well. Azula walked in the bathroom at that point and sunk into the bath with a sigh. "This feels so good."

Mai bit her lip. "Glad you enjoy it." She turns to walk out, but something stopped her. She saw her reflection in the mirror. She noticed how her face almost always has a frown on it. She rarely smiled or laughed. This point made her frown even more.

Azula laid her head on the edge of the tub. "Are you ok Mai? I know the stuff I said out there was pretty harsh. I didn't mean to be that asinine. I would like to say I am sorry. I have a horrid temper. As part of my apology, I would like for you to join me in the tub." She stared at Mai, trying to get her to accept her request.

"I don't see why not. My body hurts and I think a bath would be fine." Mai begins to undress and takes the accessories out of her hair to let it down. She steps in the tub and let out a sigh immediately. She grabs her brush and begins brushing through her damp hair. Azula watches her, slightly intrigued.

Mai looks up at her, confused. "Am I doing something that amuses you?" She continues to brush through her hair.

"No. Just thought you looked a lot like my mother when she was younger." She places her head back further so she can feel the water up to her neck.

Mai's eye twitched. "Don't compare me to that dreadful woman." She hands Azula the brush. "Do you need it?"

Azula takes the brush out of her hand. "Sure. Thanks." She takes her hair down from her bun and washes her hair. Once she finishes, she scrunches up her nose. "I think I am making the water dirty."

Mai stands up from the tub. "Well I guess you will have to get out and we will put in a new set of water." She steps out and starts draining the water out.

Azula walks over to the mirror, brushing out her hair. Once she is done, she places her hair back in the bun so the hair is out of the way. When the water is placed back in the tub, she steps back in. "Sorry about that. They only let me shower every once in a while and they didn't let me wash my hair much."

"No need to apologize. You were a prisoner. It isn't the best of conditions." She steps back into the tub, washing her body off from the water before. "That reminds me. You said your mother came to visit you when you were a prisoner. What exactly happened?"

The older girl scowled. "Way to ruin the mood. I guess it can't be helped. I'll tell you what transpired."

* * *

_That sniveling little bitch! If she thinks I will forget all about what she did, she has another thing coming! _Ursa paced back and forth outside the kitchen doors. After pacing for some time, she decided that walking outside in the cool air would calm her down.

She started walking out of the castle, but a guard stood in front of the doorway. "Where do you think you are heading off to?"

Ursa's eyebrow rose. "First of all, I am a lady. Address me as such. Second of all, I am only on lockdown _inside_ of the castle. I am leaving the castle, which means I don't need a babysitter. Lastly, don't think you will be following me everywhere. I don't need you trying to control my every action."

"Sorry. Orders of your banishment. I am to accompany you anywhere in the Capital, not just the castle. Your banishment became enacted when we met face to face. Wherever you go in the Capital, I go. This is the only way you can stay here without any problems." The guard didn't seem like he was backing down.

She let out a groan of frustration. "Fine, but you will treat me like a lady and you will _not_ treat me like a child, you got that? The way you approached me was uncalled for. I can be a very mean woman when I need to." Ursa glared him down.

"I understand fully madam." He moves to the side so Ursa can leave the castle.

Ursa nods and begins to walk outside, becoming even more frustrated with the altercation with the guard, who was following behind her silently. She walked around the castle, observing her surroundings. She tried comparing everything to how it was when she was Fire Lady to how it is now, but she found she couldn't remember certain things clearly and stopped trying.

While walking in the garden, she found a path that leads through the forest. She decided to explore it. The guard seemed to have no complaints and kept following her. When she was at the end of the path, she found an old abandoned building that looked strangely familiar. "Oh. I remember this place. This was part of the old house before it all burned down."

The entrance of the building was open, so she decided to walk in. She examined the inside of it quietly. The guard behind her thought to voice his opinion out loud. "It doesn't seem to be very stable. Are you sure you want to stay in here?"

"I'm very sure. You are supposed to follow me wherever I go and I want to stay here, so if you are scared, you can always stay outside." She found the stairs, descending down them quickly, not trying to put too much strain on them. When she reached the bottom, she realized she was in the prison. "The old holding quarters."

Ursa kept walking, looking into each cell, wondering if there was anyone still in here. She heard a cough come from the last cell. _Well that answered my thoughts._ The guard stopped in his tracks when he heard the cough. "There are still people in this building?"

"Not people, a prisoner. Better be careful." She walked to the last cell, looking in at the prisoner. She examined them, trying to distinguish who it was. When she recognized the person, she smiled. "I'm not too surprised to see you down here. Zuko must have been really angry to have locked you away down here."

Azula looked up at the woman, eyes widening. "M-mother? You're alive?" She stared at the woman in front of her. She was convinced it was a mirage. Being down here makes you crazy.

"Don't pretend to be so happy to see me. In all the years I was banished, you never even thought to try and find me. You're just as bad as your father. You must have followed in his footsteps to end up here." Ursa's eyes were narrow and calculating.

The princess spat at the ground toward Ursa. "Of course I didn't look for you. Why would I look for a woman who couldn't care less about her own child? All you cared about was poor little Zuko. The boy who couldn't even firebend. You babied him too much. It's why he ended up being banished just like his dear little mother."

Ursa shook her head. "It's sad that you still think that way about me. Azula, you were an independent girl. You didn't need me babying you. You were strong enough on your own. Zuko wasn't. He needed me."

"I needed you! You didn't even think about me. All you cared about was that Zuko reminded you of that man that once held your heart. I was the daughter that came from the terrible man you had to marry and since daddy cherished me, you didn't want anything to do with me." The girl's voice was weak yet clear.

The former queen held her hand up to the bar, it quickly melting. "Hey! Don't do that!" The guard shouted from behind her.

"What did I tell you about ordering me around? I can do whatever I want. She is my daughter." Ursa squeezed in between the bars and went over to her daughter. Her hand was on the girl's throat and she made Azula look her in the eye. "Now, listen to me child. If you want me to treat you like I don't want you, I will. That can be quickly arranged. If not, then you listen to every word that comes out of my mouth and you take it like it's the best damn thing you have heard. You hear me?"

Azula nodded her head quickly, fear in her eyes. Ursa let go of her throat, patting the girl's shoulder lightly. "Now, what did you do to get yourself down here?"

"After that, she asked me questions and talked to me until the guard told her that they had been down there for too long. Then she told me she loved me and left." Azula put her hand to her throat, remembering how frightened she was.

Mai was quiet the whole time Azula was telling the story. She had a knot in her throat. She swallowed it somehow to get her reply out. "That woman has a temper to be scared of. She is a menace to society. There is a reason she is banished from here."

"I'm not a person that gets scared easily and you know that. There used to only be one person who could scare me and that was my father, but yesterday, she surpassed my father just from the look in her eyes." Azula clearly was shaken.

Mai moved over to the same side of the tub as Azula and wrapped her arm around her. "She scared me too. After I told her about the island situation, everyone had left and she threatened me. It shook me to the core. She is something to fear."

**(A.N. I want to tell you here that I am going to make Azula and Mai a couple. If you do not like, support, or enjoy yuri, I will be warning you throughout the other chapters to tell you to skip sections of the story. I am sorry for those who do not like it, but the story works out much better this. I will put a note right before anything major happens in parentheses.)**

Azula laid her head on Mai's shoulder. "Thank you for being my friend again. If you weren't there to help me today, I would have still been in there. I didn't find the strength to leave until you told me your story. I just really wanted to give you a hug."

The younger girl moved her hand down to Aula's side and pulled her closer. "It's fine Azula. As long as you don't threaten me like your mom, I will be here for you."

Suddenly, Azula started laughing. A nice, genuine laugh that seemed to spread to Mai. Mai began laughing with her. Neither knew the reason why they started laughing, but they continued until the laughter turned to tears. Each cried for the other. Each cried for themselves. They were just full of emotions.

Azula's hand went up to Mai's face and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry for hitting you today."

Mai's hand mirrored Azula's, doing the same thing the older girl did. "I'm sorry I hit you back. We were both in a heated argument. It happens."

"I promise not to hurt you again. I have been doing it to you for years." Azula's eyes held pure regret for all the years of torment she gave her friend.

"Again, it's fine. It's all in the past." Mai let her hand drop from Azula's face.

Azula turned Mai's face toward hers. Her other hand went to the other side of Mai's face. The older girl's lips gave a warm smile, which Mai returned. Azula leaned up out of the water and closed the gap between them, giving Mai a gentle kiss. Mai's eyes widened slightly, not sure what to do. Her arms wrapped around Azula's neck and she returned the kiss. _I don't know what is going to happen later on or in the future, but I hope Azula stays this way forever._

* * *

**Afterthoughts:** Again, I would like to apologize to those who do not like yuri, but I think this is the best way to have Mai happy and Azula not to be a homicidal maniac. Takes care of one of the many problems in this series. Well as always, favorite and review if you like. Tell me what you like or don't like. Please, if one of the things you don't like is the yuri, I will warn beforehand with the **bold underline like these with ( ).** Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:** Yoo-hoo! I am putting out a chapter this early. Is the world about to end? Seriously though, I got really inspired to write this chapter so I am uploading it right now. Anyway, hope you enjoy it plenty. Btw, I haven't been getting reviews lately. I don't know if people like the story or not. Can you please review if you read. It would help me plenty. Thanks. :)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar, its characters or anything affiliated. If I did, there would be more Sokka jokes. :P

* * *

Chapter 9

**(This is the continuation of the Mai and Azula scene from last chapter. If you do not want to read, then please skip to the next bolded underlined section.)**

Mai continued to kiss Azula, not sure whether or not any of this was real. She didn't know if this was another one of Azula's tricks. If it was, she would be slightly angry with Azula, but angrier with herself for believing in something like this.

Azula deepened the kiss, biting Mai's bottom lip. The princess ran her hands down Mai's side, holding her close. The water around them was slowly growing colder, but the two girls didn't pay it any mind.

Mai pushed Azula back some, trying to breathe a little. "I just… need a little break." Her cheeks flushed red, feeling embarrassed about the whole situation. Azula moved back, giving her the time she asked for.

"I'm just glad you didn't reject me." Azula stared at the sink, not giving Mai eye contact. A couple of strands of Azula's hair came in front of her face. Her mouth grimaced, placing the hair back in its original location.

The younger girl let out a shaky breath. "I'm surprised you even kissed me. I thought you just always viewed me as your emotionless friend, not someone you can do anything physical with." Mai's body sunk into the water slowly.

A soft scoff filled the air. "I'm sorry to say this Mai, but that is how I view you. It may make me look like a selfish bitch, but I have been locked away in a cell. I have needs just like everyone else." Azula leaned her head back.

"So I was just easily accessible. Did you think that made it ok to use me as your little sex toy? Wow. You and your brother are exactly alike. You use people whenever you want." Mai stood up from the tub, grabbing a towel to cover up her body. She dried off her body quickly and used the towel to dry her hair afterwards.

Azula followed after her, grabbing the towel, but entering the bedroom without it wrapped around her body. "What do you want me to do, lie to you? At least I told you the truth. Would you rather I tell you that I have had a crush on you for a long time and that I am finally admitting my feelings now?"

The young assassin's cheeks blushed. "Of course I'd rather you tell me that! You know nothing about other people's feelings. You only care about how to fulfill your own needs and screw everyone else over to get your way."

There was a moment of silence as Azula took in what Mai said. She approached the younger girl slowly, cupping her face. "Are you telling me that you had a crush on me this whole time Mai?"

"I didn't, but when you kissed me…" Mai sat on the bed, trying to calm her emotions. This was the first time she has been this emotionally inclined in a long time. She never was a child who would bear all in front of people. She was always taught that emotions meant weakness and she didn't want to be weak, so she put on a mask and soon, it became the only face she could wear.

Azula's hand pushed Mai's face over to the left. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to being nice to anyone. It's new territory to me. If you want, we can forget about all of this or we can try this out and see where it goes. It's your decision." She stared down at the other girl.

Mai didn't know what she wanted. She did want to forget the kiss because she believed Azula will never change. She also believed she wouldn't be able to forget because a part of her wanted it to happen again. _You are only leading yourself down a path of misery…_ She looked up at Azula, wrapped her arms around her and pulled her down on the bed beside her.

"Ooh how forceful. I am going to assume that you want to continue this." She turned her body to the side, putting her weight on her elbow. Her hair was pulled down from the bun she had it in and it was flowing down all over.

Mai pushed Azula on her back and sat on top of her. "Yes I do want to continue, but these are the rules. If you don't listen to what I tell you at any time, then this is over. I will _not_ tolerate being treated like shit again. You got that?"

The older girl's hands moved up Mai's side. "I get it. I won't treat you like crap anymore. Now is that it or is there something else you want to tell me?" She stared up at Mai, trying not to be distracted by her naked body.

"No. That is all." Mai leaned down and kissed Azula fiercely, making sure to take control of her every move. _I am in control now and it feels… good._ She grabbed Azula's hands and pushed them above her head so she couldn't use them.

Azula's eyes widened lightly. _My, my. Someone is getting a little power hungry. This should be completely interesting…_

* * *

Both girls collapsed back on the bed, covered in sweat. Azula was the first to speak. "You have a very demanding personality when it comes to this sort of thing. You turned into a completely different person."

Mai shrugged her shoulders. "I just know what I like and I like telling people how to do it. Simple as that. Remember, you have to listen to everything I say or this is done."

"I know, I know. No need to keep reminding me." Azula leaned in and gave Mai another kiss, not letting Mai dominate her. She ran her hands down her back lightly, letting out a soft sigh.

Mai pulled back, almost breathless. "We should probably go get cleaned, huh?" Both girls laughed at this, thinking back on how they got dirty in the first place. "Alight, let's go then," Azula said. They quickly took another bath and dried off their skin.

**(This concludes the yuri scene. The rest of this section is normal and you can read from this part onward.)**

Suddenly, a low growl came from Mai's stomach. Her face slightly blushed. "Sorry. I didn't get to eat much during this whole ordeal so I am pretty hungry."

"It's alright. I will need to borrow some of your clothes though, since mine are still dirty." Azula turned back to Mai, making sure she heard.

"Pick something out, though I don't think any of it will be to your royal tastes." Mai starting putting on her normal clothes, trying to ignore her raging stomach crying out for food.

Azula starts rummaging through Mai's things, finding stuff she liked and putting it on. She got dressed quickly and started towards the door. Mai grabbed her by the shoulder. "Um, where do you think you're going?"

"Breakfast. Where else?" She cocked her head to the side, wondering what she was doing wrong. "You said you were hungry, so we're going to get something to eat."

"You can't! Everyone is in the dining hall. If they see us walk in together, there will be a lot of chaos. I can guarantee it." Mai let go of her shoulder. "I'll get you some stuff and bring it back." She opened the door lightly.

The door suddenly closed and Azula glared at Mai. "I told you that I wouldn't be treated like a prisoner in this house. I will walk into my own dining room and get food. Anyone who has a problem with it will just have to fight me about it."

Mai just sighed. "It's going to be a big headache trying to get you to stay here, so you can go, but you _cannot_ hurt anyone. I mean it. No matter what they do, you can't hurt them. You have done a lot of shitty things to people and naturally, they will be mad. Do not engage in any violent behavior."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Azula swatted her hands, opening the door and walking down the hallway. She managed to get all the way to the dining room faster than Mai, since Mai was trying to calm herself down after Azula jetted off by herself.

Both girls stared at the door, wondering who was going to open and walk through them first. Mai decided it would be her. She opened the doors and prepared herself for the chaos that was soon to come.

* * *

Katara bent over and started panting lightly. She hadn't worked up this amount of sweat in a while. It had been awhile since she had just let her instincts take over instead of overthinking everything. It was the break she needed. _Hopefully this will let me get some good sleep later on._

"You're not giving up already, are you?" Zuko was stretching again by the pond in the courtyard. He splashed a little water on his face to cool down a bit. He turned back to her, giving her a playful smirk. "I didn't mean to beat you so badly. I will go easy on you next time."

She raised her eyebrow slightly. "Go easy on whom now? Don't forget that I just beat you three rounds in a row. I think you need to get better, not going easier. Go any easier and I won't have to lift a finger to beat you." She let out a small laugh.

Zuko placed his hands outward, breathing out lightly. Moving quickly, he was behind Katara tapping her on the shoulder. She spun around and placed an ice barrier between them before quickly jumping backwards. The young king placed his hand to the ice and melted it, kicking it down afterwards.

Katara made sure that she stood right in front of the pond. She moved her hands up, summoning some of the water. She turned them into small balls of water, freezing them and starting aiming them at Zuko. In turn, Zuko blasted small fire balls to melt the ice balls in the air.

Whenever Katara had to dredge up more water for an attack, Zuko took the opportunity to strike. He ran over to her, gearing up for a punch. Katara dodge it by moving to the right, pivoting on her right leg, and giving a strong kick to the back of his left leg.

Letting out a yelp, Zuko's leg gave out from underneath him. He rolled out of the way of another kick from Katara, getting up and launching some firewall kicks toward her. Katara counterattacked with a wall of water, turning the steam back into water, and hurling the wave towards Zuko.

The fight continued, being evenly matched. When the pond started getting low on water, Katara used the remaining amount of it for a whip, lashing it out at Zuko. He dodged it easily, moving closer to Katara to perform a blow to her side. She blocked it with her arm, not seeing his other hand coming from the left side that merely tapped her on the neck.

Katara blinked lightly. "I-I lost?" She stared up at Zuko, letting the water fall into the courtyard grass.

"Well, I wasn't really going to let you win all the matches. Plus, you said you needed a workout. I didn't think I needed you to keep beating me the whole time. You wouldn't really be working that hard." Zuko straightened out, feeling his muscles finally relax.

Her hands began drugging up the water that fell into the garden, returning it all back to the pond. "I guess you're not a loser after all." She stretched her arms, pulling them backwards lightly. "Thanks for the sparring session. I can legitimately say that I worked every muscle in my body."

Zuko walked over to the pond, splashing some water on his face and then in his hair. He shook his hair lightly. "No problem. If you ever want to do it again, just ask. I'm usually all cooped up in an office doing paperwork all day. It's nice to exercise every once in a while."

"No problem." She gave him a quick smile. She stared at him for a little while. _Wow. I never thought about how nice his hair looks when it's wet. Wait, what am I thinking about?! _Katara quickly turned away from him, trying to hide her blush.

"I guess we can head inside and eat some breakfast. You must have gained an appetite after that workout." Zuko grabbed his water bottle, quickly drinking the rest of it down and sighing lightly. "I know I worked up one."

The young waterbender turned around, regaining her composure. "Sure. I could go for some food right now." She walked over to his side. "Lead the way, King Zuko."

He let out a weak laugh. "I can never get over people saying that. Just a few weeks ago, I was an exiled prince. Now I lead this nation. It's a big switch." He starts walking through the hallway, taking the shortest path to the dining room.

"I'm sure you will do fine. You know how the people think since you were around them for so long. You will be a great king. Everyone thinks so. You already have the respect of many people." Katara follows beside him, almost noiselessly.

Zuko stopped in front of the dining room doors. "Do you really think so?"

She smiles at him. "Of course I do. Why would I lie about something like that?" She stopped beside him. "It's just… never mind."

"No. Go ahead and say what you were going to."

"I don't think you should let Mai stay here. Won't she be angry that you revoked your proposal? I think she is a ticking time bomb. There is only a certain amount of time before she harms someone or does something dangerous," says Katara in a serious tone.

Zuko sighed lightly. "I know I messed up, but I highly doubt she would do anything to endanger any of us."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't bet on it."

There was a loud noise in the dining hall. Suddenly, Ty Lee was shouting across the room while Mai mirrored her. The two opened the doors and walked in on the most chaotic scene ever.

The food was all on the floor as well as the silverware. The plates were all smashed and were lying on the ground. Mai was standing in middle of the room with someone else. Everyone in the room had a look of anger on their faces. Katara and Zuko walked in, staring at the mess.

"What the hell is going on in here?! Why is everything in ruins?!" Zuko shouted. He glanced over everyone, waiting for an answer.

Ty Lee glared, not looking over at him. She lifted up her arm and pointed to the stranger. "Ask her! She was the reason it happened."

The mysterious girl turned to face Zuko and Katara. Katara let out a gasp and Zuko stared at her astonished. "Azula?! How did you get out of your prison?"

"Oh dear Zuzu, there are ways. There are ways." She walked over to Zuko, but he backed away quickly. "Do you think I'm here to hurt you? Honestly, I don't want to end up back in my prison cell. All I wanted was breakfast. Is that such a bad thing?"

Zuko straightened up slightly, but he was still tense. "Why are you in the castle? I would have thought you would run away to start your life somewhere else." He was glaring at his sister with poisonous eyes.

Azula smirked. "No need for the death glares." She walked over to the wall, leaning against it. "This is my home. I belong here. It has been my home longer than yours. Do I not have the right to live here?"

"NO you don't!" Katara screamed. Everyone looked over at her. "You were the one who caused all the problems in the last couple of months! We were on the run from you and you ruined countless of lives! Do you think you can waltz in here and we would all be ok with it?" Her eyes glared daggers into Azula.

The princess let out a laugh. "Go ahead and let your eyes glare at me. It doesn't matter to me. I am here, so there is nothing you can do about it. I wouldn't be here for any other reason. If I could choose to, I would burn this place to the ground, but I promised not to hurt any of you people."

Ty Lee turned to Mai. "So you broke her out of prison because you were angry? What the fuck are you doing?! Are you that stupid to think that both of you could stay here after doing something like that?"

"Quiet! All of you!" Ursa walked in with her guard in tow. "Any decisions like that will be left to Zuko. He is the one in charge of this palace and the only one who can make that choice." She turned to Mai and Azula. "You two, come with me." She then turned to Zuko. "You come with me also." She walked out of the dining hall after that.

Zuko turned to everyone, giving them a reproachful look. Azula gave off a smirk and followed behind all of them. Mai left last, having an expressionless look on her face as always.

Ursa walked back in and snapped her fingers. The maids came out of the kitchen, eyes widening from the mess. "Could you guys be so kind as to clean this up? After that, you can take the rest of the day off. Thanks." She walked out, closing the doors behind her.

The others were speechless. Ty Lee stomped out of the room through the east doors, probably heading to her bedroom. Katara walked over to the others, trying not to step on any glass on the way. "What happened?"

Aang collapsed in his chair. "I can't even recall. All I know is that I was filled with an anger I haven't felt in a long time." His head hung, his hands covering it.

"All of us were eating breakfast and those two waltzed in. Ty Lee got ballistic and started throwing everything at Azula and then Mai and Ty Lee started shouting at each other. Azula just stood there, not saying a thing. The three of us just stood here and watched, too angry to say anything really," Toph relayed.

Sokka leaned against the table, gripping it with his hands. "I can't believe she's free. What will we do now? It took all we had to lock her up the first time."

They all remained silent, in their own thoughts. Katara was the one to break the silence. "Whatever happens, I'm sure Zuko will have it figured out. We just have to put our faith in him and hope that everything works out in the end."

The others nodded their heads, hoping Katara was right.

* * *

Ursa walked ahead of everyone in silence, leading everyone to Zuko's office to have a chat instead of a shouting match. When she opened the door, she headed immediately to the chair behind the desk, the guard standing behind her. The only seats left where the ones set up right next to each other.

Mai decided to sit in the middle chair to try and be a buffer between Azula and Zuko, even though she didn't want to sit next to Zuko herself. Azula sat on Mai's right and Zuko took the only remaining seat in the office, grimacing at the fact that his royal seat was stolen.

The room was filled with heavy tension. Ursa decided to ignore it and spoke. "Here is how it's going to go. I will be conducting this meeting myself and I will give each of you the turn to speak. Any one of you interrupts the other; I will personally discipline you after this. Believe me; you don't want to be disciplined by me. We are going to be civil. If not, I will treat you like animals and all of you can be locked up in cells. You understand?"

All three of them nodded their head, more scared of Ursa than the anger they had for each other. Ursa smiled lightly. "Good. This should all work out for the best. I would like to hear from Azula first, if that is fine with you. State what you need."

Azula crossed her legs defiantly. "I have nothing of great importance to say. I want to live in the castle. It is my home after all. I have lived here my whole life. I have the most right to live here, yet I was locked up in a cell and left for dead."

"Alright, any objections?" Ursa turned her head to Zuko, knowing he would have something to say.

"Of course there is an objection! She pretty much hunted all of us down relentlessly, terrorizing all the other nations! If they banished my mother for something she did recently, how do you think they will feel knowing Azula is here living in the castle? They would have my head! I don't want her anywhere near here. I want her to disappear." Zuko glared at Azula.

Mai stood up immediately. "Now that isn't even fair. You were banished before you became King, so don't think you are better than anyone else. Last time I checked, you were hunting down the Avatar as well, so if you use that logic, you shouldn't be living in the castle either. Azula has as much right to live here as you do. You terrorized other nations in pursuit of the Avatar. There are still people who are angry with you, let's not forget that."

Ursa cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. Mai sat down, folding her arms over her chest. "Well this is a sight to see, Mai sticking up for Azula without being threatened to." She glanced at all three of them. "Zuko is King and what he says goes, but while I am here, I am still the previous Fire Lady and my ruling will be taken in consideration also. I don't see any problem with Azula living in the castle."

"NO! I will _not _have her living here! I forbid it! She should have been executed for what she did, but I gave her some leniency and wanted her to rot in a jail cell. Now that she is not in it, maybe an execution could be arranged." Zuko's hands tightened against the armrest of the chair.

Mai gasped loudly. "How _dare_ you sit here and say you should execute your sister? Remember when your only mission in life was killing the Avatar's friends and capturing him? Many people wanted you executed too. Azula was only doing what you had failed to do since her father forced her to! Do you think she cared about the Avatar or anything else?! She just wanted to live a normal life and stay in the castle with her friends, but poor Zuko! Zuko is the most important person and his opinions are the only ones that matters!"

Azula placed her hand on Mai's shoulder. "That's enough Mai. You're going to raise your blood pressure with all that yelling." Azula turned her head to Ursa. "So what is it then? If Zuko wants me gone, but you want me to stay here, what can you guys come up with where you both will be happy?"

The room was silent. Ursa's fingers tapped the table, trying to think of a solution. "What about you get a wing to the castle to yourself? There are so many parts of the castle currently no in use. If you have a wing to yourself, you'll be able to stay in the castle and Zuko can avoid you if he chooses."

Mai's face changed to something she didn't show often, hope. "That could actually work." She turns over to Azula. "You could have a whole section of the castle to yourself and get to do whatever you want with it. That's more than you got when your father was in charge. What do you say?"

"I don't know why you are getting so excited for. I never said I would agree to this." Zuko's gaze was locked on the window, not really looking for anything in particular, but being able to avoid the gazes of everyone else was enough.

Suddenly, Mai's hand collided with Zuko's face. Zuko turned to her in surprise. Mai's eyes were filling with premature tears. "I can't believe you can be so _selfish_! Here we are trying to find a way for everyone to be happy and you want everyone to suffer like you. Why won't you get over it?! Has Azula done _anything_ bad since she has gotten out of the prison? If she wanted revenge, she would have tried to burn down the castle with you in it."

"That's enough." Ursa's voice went from sweet and earthly, to full authoritarian. Everyone, including the guard, was absolutely still, not moving an inch. "Now Zuko, you cannot deny that Azula has not done anything terrible since she got here. There was that spat in the dining room, but I highly doubt she initiated it. Mai, you have very strong ideas and opinions, but I advise you not to place your hands on the King of this nation again. You are lucky there are no officials here, or they would have you thrown in a prison cell. Do well to learn to conduct yourself around the King. He may be a childhood friend, but people don't care about that when it is their leader. Lastly Azula, if you plan on living here, you must change your ways. The way you have been acting in the past will not be tolerated. If I hear anything about how you are acting out of line, I will personally be there to fix it. Is that clear to all of you?"

The three exchanged looks, finally giving it. They all nodded their heads in agreement. Ursa leaned back in her chair, giving a warm smile. When she spoke again, her voice went back to being sweet. "Good. Now, I want you two to go back to the dining room and help clean up the mess. Zuko, you gather up your friends and tell them to meet me in here and let me talk to them about the new arrangements. Don't worry about rallying up Ty Lee. She needs time to cool down anyway."

All of them got up from their seats and went to do what Ursa said. They didn't waste any time getting out of the office. Ursa let out a small laugh. "They are all good kids, but they have the biggest tempers in the world." Her eyes spotted an old photograph of her, Ozai and the children in front of the castle. She examined everyone's faces, each one happy. _If only this would have lasted. Maybe none of us would be so unfortunate right now._

* * *

Aang, Katara, Sokka and Toph had left the dining room promptly after the help told them they were hindering them from the cleaning. As soon as they left, they all decided to head out west doors to the room there. It was a great place to sit and socialize.

"I can't believe Azula thought she could just stroll through the dining hall without there being any problems. I told Zuko that Mai would do something to jeopardize the peace here," Katara stated angrily.

Aang had his head leaning back on the couch, staring up at the chandelier. "I don't know. She didn't seem like the normal Azula. She usually would have walked in there and attacked us with no questions asked. I think she was really just there to eat breakfast with Mai."

Sokka scoffed. "Doesn't matter what she wanted. She should have known that we wouldn't let her sit across from us at the dining table. What's next, Ozai decides to drop by and we just let him braid our hair and drink tea with us?"

The others grimaced at the image. Toph walked around the room. "I d'know. I would have to agree with Aang. I didn't sense anything malicious about her at all while she was in the room. Maybe Mai did something so that she wouldn't be so bloodthirsty."

"It's just a ploy. She isn't really that nice. She is just buying time until she strikes. You know how Azula can be. She is a devious, condescending bitch." Katara's anger was heard plainly through her words.

The others stared at her astonished. Aang backed away from her a little before he said, "I don't mean to be a doubter Katara, but you did say this same thing when Zuko said he had turned good. You didn't trust him at all."

Katara gasped. "I wasn't the only one! Everyone thought so. Even Sokka, and he is the most gullible one out of all of us."

Sokka nodded his head, but then caught what Katara said. "Hey! I'm not gullible!"

A scoff was heard from Toph. "Who was the one who fell for the quarter trick Aang did?"

"That was an honest mistake. Anyone would have fallen for that!" Sokka glared at Toph.

The others all raised their eyebrows at him. "Seriously, you are the only person to have fallen for that in a century," Aang said.

Katara tried to stifle her laughter. Sokka glared at her. "Oh yeah. Laugh it up. You won't be laughing when I hit you with my boomerang!"

Sokka got up and started chasing Katara around the room. Katara evaded him easily, while Sokka tripped over almost everything in the room. Toph and Aang just watched the two, laughing at Sokka's antics. It was the most fun that had in a while.

Zuko walked into the room as Sokka face planted to the ground and everyone was in gut-bursting laughter. Sokka got up, rubbing his face lightly. "Ow."

"Serves you right." Katara checked his face to see if he was seriously injured, but he wasn't. "Idiots don't get hurt, remember?"

"I'm not an idiot!" Sokka started flailing his boomerang around menacingly.

At that point, Zuko cleared his throat to get everyone attention. "I don't mean to be a party pooper, but my mom wants to talk to all of you about something rather important."

Toph got off the floor and walked out the room. "Well then lead the way." The others followed suit. Zuko led them down the hallway towards Ursa, who will tell them information that will change everything.

* * *

**Afterthoughts:** For all of you who may want to know what quarter trick I am talking about, you could try this with anyone you have a grudge on or something. It's actually funnier if you use more money cause they will be more inclined to participate. Fill a glass cup up with water and place a quarter underneath the cup. Then you tell them that if they can see when you take the quarter from under the glass, then they can have it. Obviously, it's impossible, so while they are watching intently, you pick up the glass and throw it in their face and take the quarter. Pretty fun to do to people. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Hope this section isn't too long. As always, follow, favorite and review. I haven't been getting reviews lately. Idk if people like the story or not.


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